send up a trial balloon

to suggest something and see how people respond to it; to test public opinion. Mary had an excellent idea, but when we sent up a trial balloon, the response was very negative. Don't start the whole project without sending up a trial balloon.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Catalina	kah-tah-LEE-nah	Spanish
Draco	-	Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Greer	GREER	Scottish, English (Rare)
Lenny	['leni]
Perle	-	French, Yiddish
Ceallach	KEL-akh	Irish