go over like a lead balloon

verb

To fail to gain acceptance: to be received poorly.

Similar
go down like a cup of cold sick
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Meanings

verbgo over like a lead balloon (third-person singular simple present goes over like a lead balloon, present participle going over like a lead balloon, simple past went over like a lead balloon, past participle gone over like a lead balloon)

present singular third person goes over like a lead balloon · participle present going over like a lead balloon · past went over like a lead balloon · participle past gone over like a lead balloon · alternative go down like a lead balloon

  1. simileTo fail to gain acceptance: to be received poorly.

    Synonyms: go down like a cup of cold sick

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo fail to gain acceptance: to be received poorly.

Similar
go down like a cup of cold sick
Also see
go down like a cup of cold sick

Origin

Presumably from go over (“to be received”), used as if literally (“to travel above”): a lead balloon would not travel well through the air.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

go over like a lead balloon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20over%20like%20a%20lead%20balloon

MLA

“go over like a lead balloon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20over%20like%20a%20lead%20balloon. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “go over like a lead balloon,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20over%20like%20a%20lead%20balloon.

Source: go over like a lead balloon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.