English Idioms

Go Down Like a Lead Balloon

Meaning:

• be a total failure
• not accepted at all

Frequency of Use: Medium

1. The business proposal went down like a lead balloon with the office manager, and we were disappointed that it wasn’t accepted.
2. If you tell that terrible story, it will go down like a lead balloon with your family.
3. If you take your date to the library to read poetry, your plan will go down like a lead balloon. I mean, no one would like that.

1. When you ever say things in your relationships with family that go down like a lead balloon, what do you do (for example, you tell your sister that you like her new haircut, but she hadn’t got one).

You are at a restaurant on a date, and you notice that the person has food in her/his teeth. You then start smiling, and your date asks you why. You then burst out laughing uncontrollably, and everyone in the restaurant looks your way. You then tell your partner about the food, and your date stands up and leaves the restaurant in anger. You realize that your actions have gone down like a lead balloon. What are you going to do next?

Sometimes, learners know the meaning of an idiom, but they don’t know how to use it correctly in conversation or writing. Thus, this activity checks your grammatical accuracy with the idiom so you become more confident in using it.