| Idiom | Go over Like a Lead Balloon |
|---|---|
| Example | I asked to go to Antarctica for vacation, but my idea went over like a lead balloon. |
| Meaning | to fail miserably |
| Origin | This is a fairly recent expression. The writer who first used it imagined what would happen if you tried to float a balloon filled with lead. It would never get off the ground. In the same way, any project or attempt that fails miserably is like a lead balloon that doesn't go over a blade of grass, let alone a treetop. This expression is often applied to a joke that gets no laughs. |
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