Trial balloon
01
试验气球, 探空气球
a balloon sent up to test air currents
1.1
试探气球, 反应测试
a thing that is done or introduced in order to test the public's opinion
例子
The company sent out a trial balloon by leaking a rumor about a new product to test customer interest before investing in its development.
公司通过泄露关于新产品的谣言来发送一个试探气球，以在投资开发之前测试客户的兴趣。
The politician floated a trial balloon by mentioning a potential tax increase in a speech to see how the public would respond.
这位政治家在演讲中提到潜在的增税，以观察公众的反应，从而抛出了一个试探气球。
