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| Image by Kyle Horner (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) |
In my last post, I described in some detail what can happen when
readers are interrupted by errors or uncertain terms in a text. What triggered
this post was the use of the term test
balloon in a TV series I was watching. I wanted to know what the correct or
usual term was – test balloon or trial balloon?
Bottom line: The expression is trial balloon. Here’s how I determined this – and how I found out
more than I needed to along the way.
First, a simple Google search generated a few cases of test balloon, but they were all in
reference to scientific tests. A Google search of trial balloon generated hits related to the idea of testing public
opinion. To be sure, this is probably as far as I needed to go to confirm my
hunch that trial balloon was the correct
(usual) expression.
As it happens with searches like this, however, a bit of
information can make you want more. A Google
Ngram query showed high frequency use of trial balloon, peaking in the mid-1940s, while the corresponding
line for test balloon is relatively
flat over the 20th century. I now have more evidence that trial balloon is correct, but the sharp
rise in the use of the term that begins in the early 30s and peaks in the
mid-40s raises a new question: Why this spike in usage?
In an effort to find out, I began by asking: When did the expression trial balloon appear and what did it originally
refer to? Wisegeek.com says it originated
in 1782 when two French brothers were testing hot air balloons both to see if
they could become airborne and if so, would they be safe. In this sense, then,
the trial balloon was a sort of crash test dummy.
Dictionary.com defines
it in its public-opinion-test context, and says the term came into use around
1930–35. This is consistent with what Google Ngram shows. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines it as a test of public
opinion; and in addition to this definition, The Free Dictionary and The American Heritage
Dictionary of Idioms both report that the term originates “from the use of
balloons to test weather conditions.”
So there are some conflicting views about the origins of the
term trial balloon. Perhaps the
French brothers were also testing weather conditions?
Finally, a Google Ngram query of the two terms, trial balloon and test balloon, from 1750 to 2008, indicates that trial balloon first appeared around 1770
and then all but disappeared until the 1930s, confirming the information that the
various sites suggest.
Could it be that when the term reappeared in the 30s, it was
in its public-opinion-testing context? What was the event that brought this term back
to life with new connotations?
One more interesting note. Google Ngram allows you to select
a language for your query. In my first search I simply selected English. But when you search the above terms and select American English, there’s no record of the
1770 appearance of this term. When you select British English, however, there it is. Aside from this, the two charts
are similar, except that the dates don’t quite correspond. But in both, the term
appears in the 30s then shows a resurgence in the late 60s and early
70s. What person(s) or event(s) sparked this resurgence? Nixon? Thatcher? The
war in Vietnam? I’d love to explore this further.
Why should you bother? Well, one reason is that language is a reflection of our culture – the culture which, in some way, you might be trying to recreate or comment on in your own writing. Poking around in word definitions and histories also improves your vocabulary and places many familiar phrases in context. Plus, it’s fun. And finally, if you’re a writer, it’s your medium, and knowing it better will cast your writing – and you – in a better light.
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