To go down like a lead balloon 不受欢迎或起反效果
An Afghan man carries colourful balloons to welcome the country's athletes back from the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photo: Massoud Hossaini
今日短语
如果你说的话或做的事 goes down like a lead balloon, 这就意味着起不受欢迎，激起了他人的不满或反感。
今日小常识
The common rubber balloon was invented by Michael Faraday in 1824. Faraday made his balloons by cutting around two sheets of rubber and pressing the edges together. They were originally used in experiments with hydrogen, but soon became popular with the general public when they were sold at circuses and parks in America.
我们常见的橡皮气球是科学家迈克尔•法拉第Michael Faraday 在1824年发明的。Faraday 当时把两片橡皮剪成圆形，然后把圆边压在一起。最初气球的用途是氢气实验，后来当这些气球出现在美国马戏团和游乐公园时，很快被大众接受，非常受欢迎。
例句
David's joke was in very poor taste. It went down like a lead balloon!
The news of Jenny's engagement went down like a lead balloon when she told the girls – they cannot stand her boyfriend!
The job cuts will go down like a lead balloon when the workers are told about them.
请注意
通俗表达 to swing the lead 意思是假装生病逃避工作。
I'm sick of having to do the work for my colleague – he's always swinging the lead!
