balloon goes up

== English == === Etymology === Probably from the releasing of a balloon as a signal for an event to begin, possibly popularized by the use of balloons by the British Army during World War I (1914–1918) as a signal for artillery fire to commence. === Pronunciation === enPR: bə-lo͞on′ gōz ŭp′ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /bəˌluːn ɡəʊ̯z ˈʌp/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /bəˌlun ɡoʊ̯z ˈʌp/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /bəˌlʉːn ɡəʉ̯z ˈɐp/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /bəˌlʉːn ɡɐʉ̯z ˈɐp/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /bəˌlʉn ɡoz ˈʌp/ (India) IPA(key): /baˌluːn ɡoːz ˈəp/ Hyphenation: bal‧loon goes up === Phrase === balloon goes up (idiomatic) Something exciting, risky, or troublesome begins. [from early 20th c.] — When is your job interview?— The balloon goes up at 10 tomorrow. For quotations using this term, see Citations:balloon goes up. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see balloon,‎ go,‎ up. ==== Usage notes ==== The term is also used with other forms of the word go, such as going and went; see the headword and conjugation table at the lemma go. ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === References === === Further reading === Colin McIntosh, editor (2013), “the balloon goes up, idiom.”, in Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 4th edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, retrieved 7 September 2025, reproduced in the Cambridge English Dictionary website, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. “the balloon goes up” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman. “the balloon goes up”, in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2026, retrieved 7 September 2025