trial balloons
Ideas floated tentatively
Trial balloons are ideas or proposals floated publicly to gauge reaction before committing to them.
Politicians and organizations release trial balloons to test public opinion, often through leaks or unofficial statements, allowing them to back away if the response is negative.
The administration's trial balloon about raising the retirement age was quickly shot down.
The term comes from the practice of releasing small balloons to test wind conditions before a major balloon flight.
- experimentsTests of a hypothesis
- feelersSensory touch organs
- reactionsResponses to events
- probesInvestigative examinations
- responsesAnswers or reactions
concepts · speculations · gauge · feasibility study · test the waters · testing the waters · putting out feelers · public opinion · straw poll · barometers · soundings · pilot project · media leak · leak · indicator · stakeholder engagement · press release · rumor mill
- conjecturinghypothesizing, theorizing, speculating, conjecturing, supposing
trial balloonsbinding agreements
Enforceable promises between parties
pledges · done deals · promises · guarantees · executive orders
trial, trials, trialed, trialing, trying, tries, balloon, balloons, ballooned