balloon goes up

bal·loon goes up
UK/bəˌluːn ɡəʊ̯z ˈʌp/Canada, US/bəˌlun ɡoʊ̯z ˈʌp/Australia/bəˌlʉːn ɡəʉ̯z ˈɐp/New Zealand/bəˌlʉːn ɡɐʉ̯z ˈɐp/

phrase

Something exciting, risky, or troublesome begins.

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:balloon goes up.”

First used early 20th c.
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Meanings

phrase
  1. idiomaticSomething exciting, risky, or troublesome begins.First known use early 20th c.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:balloon goes up.

    1 more example

    — When is your job interview? — The balloon goes up at 10 tomorrow.

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see balloon, go, up.

Origin

Probably from the releasing of a balloon as a signal for an event to begin, possibly popularized by the use of balloons by the British Army during World War I (1914–1918) as a signal for artillery fire to commence.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish h-hetki on
  • h-hetki onsomething exciting, risky, or troublesome begins
Cite this entry
APA

balloon goes up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balloon%20goes%20up

MLA

“balloon goes up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balloon%20goes%20up. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “balloon goes up,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balloon%20goes%20up.

Source: balloon goes up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.