trial balloon

American  

noun

1. a statement, program, or the like issued publicly as a means of determining reactions in advance.

   The speech was a trial balloon for a new law.

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trial balloon British  

noun

1. a tentative action or statement designed to test public opinion on a controversial matter Compare ballon d'essai

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trial balloon Cultural  

1. A small campaign or test designed to gauge public response. The term originally referred to a balloon sent up to determine weather conditions: “The speech on free trade that the candidate delivered last month must have been a trial balloon; the audience reacted with hostility, and he has not mentioned the subject since.”

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trial balloon Idioms  

1. An idea or plan advanced tentatively to test public reaction, as in Let's send up a trial balloon for this new program before we commit ourselves. This expression alludes to sending up balloons to test weather conditions. [c. 1930]

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Etymology

Origin of trial balloon

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

That trial balloon seems to have been shot down.

From The Wall Street Journal

He floats trial balloons and if no one pushes back, he pushes forward.

From Salon

Often, politicians float trial balloons like this in the media to gauge public reaction.

From MarketWatch

We haven't heard anything further much about that since it was first floated — maybe it was a trial balloon that fizzled.

From Salon

These are the stories that resonate now, the innovations that feel fresh, the trial balloons for where the art form is headed.

From Los Angeles Times