Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

go over like a lead balloon

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.87 in modern English

Syllables
go over -like a lead- bal-loon
IPA
33
Scrabble Score
22
Letters
4
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To fail to gain acceptance: to be received poorly.

Etymology

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

Inflected Forms

goes over like a lead balloon (present, singular) going over like a lead balloon (participle, present) went over like a lead balloon (past) gone over like a lead balloon (participle, past) go down like a lead balloon (alternative)

Phrases

fly with leaden wings sink like a stone like a fart in church

Frequently Paired Words

fly with leaden wings sink like a stone like a fart in church

Synonyms

go down like a cup of cold sick

Questions

What does go over like a lead balloon mean?
To fail to gain acceptance: to be received poorly.
Where does go over like a lead balloon come from?
Presumably from go over (“to be received”), used as if literally (“to travel above”): a lead balloon would not travel well through the air.

How to pronounce go over like a lead balloon

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “go over like a lead balloon”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “go over like a lead balloon”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “go over like a lead balloon” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.