running something up the flagpole
Floating an idea
Running something up the flagpole means presenting an idea to see how others react before committing to it.
The full expression is run it up the flagpole and see who salutes—testing whether a proposal attracts support.
The phrase carries a whiff of corporate jargon: Let's run this concept up the flagpole with the board.
- green lightAuthorization to proceed
- blue-sky thinkingUnrestricted creative brainstorming
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- trial balloonPreliminary test of opinion
- trialJudicial examination of claims
prototype · consultation · experiment · consensus · pilot · authorization · critique · sounding board · feasibility study · feedback loop · test the waters · kick the tires · sanity check · focus group · evaluation · peer review · survey · beta test
running something up the flagpolepulling the trigger
going all in · taking the plunge · executing · implementing · laying down the law
running something up the flagpolepulling the trigger
signing off · giving the green light · rubber-stamping · taking the plunge · going all in
run, running, runs, ran, runner, runners, runny, other, others