Crossword Genius

Why the outsider never gets a look in (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

curtains

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'why the outsider never gets a look in' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'the outsider never gets a look in' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is present in the answer.
'a' is within the answer.
'in' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'curs' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for curtains that I've seen before include "Hanging cloths" , "Death (slang)" , "Draperies" , "theatre equipment!" , "It could be the end" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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