Random Drivel from your Average Tosser

...with your host, Binty McShae - whether you like it or not!

Monday, June 30, 2008

Hmmm...

Why, when describing something that has proved unpopular, do people use the phrase "That went down like a lead balloon"?

If you hold them a a little way off the floor most balloons, the plastic/rubber/whatever-it-is-kind, will drop down fairly slowly and gently. If filled with helium or some other lighter-than-air gas, the won't go down at all - at least not straight away. However, if you take a balloon made of lead and let it go it's a fairly safe bet that it would plummet pretty decently... or in other words, go down very well.

English - it's a funny old language.

Cheers m'dears!

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6 Comments:

At Thursday, July 03, 2008 10:04:00 pm, Blogger shenanigans said...

Ok, I'm obviously not English but one that cracks me up every single time is "Dog's Bollocks"!
What's with that!

 
At Friday, July 04, 2008 1:05:00 am, Blogger Andraste said...

I prefer the expression "that went down like a fart in church."

Gets me every time. I'm a simple soul.

 
At Saturday, July 12, 2008 6:31:00 pm, Blogger SafeTinspector said...

I always assumed one was trying to SWALLOW the lead balloon in that phrase.

 
At Monday, July 14, 2008 3:50:00 pm, Blogger balletwho...? said...

'Cheap at half the price' - that one annoys me a lot. It should be 'cheap at twice the price' surely...?

 
At Thursday, July 31, 2008 8:53:00 am, Blogger SafeTinspector said...

Well, I suppose it would be cheaper at half the price.

 
At Friday, August 01, 2008 10:43:00 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The phrase is actually cheap at twice the price.... when saying cheap at half the price it's supposed to be sarcastic!

 

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