overture

n 1: orchestral music played at the begining of an opera or

oratorio

2: something that serves as a preceding event or introduces

what follows; "training is a necessary preliminary to

employment"; "drinks were the overture to dinner" [syn: {preliminary},

{prelude}]

3: a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of

others; "she rejected his advances" [syn: {advance}, {approach},

{feeler}]