went over like a lead balloon
Met with silence
Went over like a lead balloon describes something that failed completely, especially a joke, suggestion, or proposal that met with silence or rejection.
The image is of a balloon made from lead—it wouldn't float at all.
My idea to cancel the holiday party went over like a lead balloon.
The British variant is "went down like a lead balloon."
- fall flatFail to impress
- bombExplosive device or disaster
- failureLack of success
- flopComplete commercial failure
- crash and burnFail completely and visibly
dead on arrival · rejection · shot down · sink like a stone · backfire · nonstarter · disappointment · fiasco · debacle · negative feedback · cold reception · thud · indifference · tough crowd · miss the mark · alienation · crickets · criticism
went over like a lead balloonkilled it
Performed exceptionally well
crushed it · resonated · clicked · hit it out of the park · nailed it
leading, leaden, balloon, balloons, ballooned, ballooning, balloonist