Yahoo Web Search

  1. Read customer reviews & find best sellers. Order today! Free UK delivery on eligible orders

Search results

  1. Dictionary
    go down like a lead balloon
    • Failure, an unsuccessful venture

      • 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.
      wordhistories.net/2021/09/20/lead-balloon/
  2. People also ask

  3. 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.

  4. 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 ...

  5. The term "go down like a lead balloon" means to be poorly received by an audience or to be a total failure. In the US, "go over like a lead balloon" is also used. Examples of Use: His "English man, Scottish man, Irish man" jokes went down like a lead a balloon. I am expecting my sales pitch to go down like a lead a balloon.

    • To Go Over Like A Lead Balloon Meaning
    • Origin of Go Over/Go Down Like A Lead Balloon
    • Examples of Go Over/Go Down Like A Lead Balloon
    • More Examples
    • Summary

    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. The British version of the phrase is go down like a lead balloon.

    Imagine if a balloon were actually made of lead. It wouldn’t be able to fly at all. This imagery is what people imagine when using this expression. This idiom first appeared in an American cartoon strip in 1924. It took several years to the phrase to catch on, as it wasn’t seen again in print until after World War II. Over the years, the expression...

    In the first example, two employees are talking together on their lunch break. Marcus: I made a fool of myself in a meeting today. Patsy: How so? Marcus: I pitched an idea for a new product that our company could sell. Patsy: And the other people didn’t like it? Marcus: They didn’t like it at all. The whole idea went over like a lead balloon. The b...

    This excerpt is from an advice column. A woman with a grouchy father wants to throw him a party, but her family doesn’t like that idea at all. 1. I make an effort to see the good in my father and I know aging isn’t easy for anybody. But younger relatives have no patience for him and every time I suggest a party for him, it goes over like a lead bal...

    The idiom to go over like a lead balloon means a concept is wildly unpopular or an effort to do something was wildly unsuccessful.

  6. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Lead_BalloonLead Balloon - Wikipedia

    Lead Balloon is a British sitcom television series produced by Open Mike Productions for BBC Four. The series was created and is co-written by comedian Jack Dee and Pete Sinclair. It stars Dee as Rick Spleen, a cynical and misanthropic comedian whose life is plagued by petty annoyances, disappointments and embarrassments.

    • Situation Comedy
  7. Jun 24, 2022 · Meaning. 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. People in the UK will phrase it as “ go down like a lead balloon .”.

  8. Definition of lead balloon in the Idioms Dictionary. lead balloon phrase. What does lead balloon expression mean? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary.

  1. People also search for