Trial-balloon
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.
trial balloon
noun
1.
a tentative action or statement designed to test public opinion on a controversial matter Compare ballon d’essai
trial balloon definition
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
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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