Search results
- DictionaryGo over like a lead balloon
- ▪ (of something said or written) be poorly received
Powered by Oxford Languages
In the UK a complete failures ‘go down like a lead balloon’. The phrase is American in origin and the first mention of a lead balloon with the meaning of something that fails comes from a Mom-N Pop cartoon that was syndicated in several US newspapers in June 1924.
Sep 20, 2021 · Of American-English origin, the phrase lead balloon denotes a failure, an unsuccessful venture. It is especially used of suggestions, jokes, etc., made in public. The image is of a balloon made of lead plummeting to the ground. —Cf. also the phrase like the man who fell out of the balloon, not in it. The image of a lead balloon not becoming ...
Definition of lead balloon in the Idioms Dictionary. lead balloon phrase. What does lead balloon expression mean? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary.
Jun 24, 2022 · The expression “lead balloon” describes a project, idea, or process that was a total failure due to a lack of support. The phrase has two versions. It appears as “ go over like a lead balloon” in America.
To Go Over Like a Lead Balloon Meaning Definition: An idea or an attempt that is a total failure with no support from others. The American version of the phrase is go over like a lead balloon.
lead balloon in British English. (lɛd bəˈluːn ) noun. 1. informal. a total failure. transforming a golden opportunity into a lead balloon. 2. See to go down like a lead balloon. Collins English Dictionary.
Lead balloon. A simile for a flop or failure for the obvious reason that a lead balloon cannot stay aloft, first attested in America during the 1920s but only came into widespread use after WWII.
go ˌdown like a lead balˈloon (informal) be very unsuccessful; not be accepted by people: As you can imagine, the new proposals went down like a lead balloon, so we’ll have to think again. OPPOSITE: go down a bomb
The headmaster’s idea that all the students spend their lunch hour collecting litter went down like a lead balloon. Where did it originate? USA, mid 20th century.
Fig. to fail completely; to go over badly. Your joke went over like a lead balloon. If that play was supposed to be a comedy, it went over like a lead balloon. Her suggestion went over like a lead balloon. See also: balloon, go, lead, like, over.
