Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
You are not logged in.
Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to
The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.
Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
The phrase “go over like a lead balloon†or “go down like a lead balloon†is a twentieth-century coinage. A good synopsis of its origin and current use can be found at The Phrase Finder. The zing of the phrase lies in its irony: a balloon made out of lead wouldn’t stay in the air for long.
Today I heard the phrase “went over like a lead brick.†This blidiom seems to marry the lead balloon phrase with “go over like a ton of bricks.†Interestingly, there are about a hundred unique web pages with this perversion. I’m surprised that the “lead brick†phrasing has any appeal at all, since the aerodynamics contrast has lost its zing. Who would expect bricks to levitate, leaden or otherwise?
Last edited by kem (2010-01-17 10:59:07)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Offline