balloon juice

English

Etymology

Extended from synonymous hot air, gas. Attested in both senses from the 19th century.

Noun

balloon juice (uncountable)

1. (informal, chiefly US) Empty or exaggerated talk lacking in substance, boasting, chatter, nonsense.

   Synonyms: bunkum, hokum, hooey, hot air; see also Thesaurus:nonsense

   • 1895 February 1, “Day of Droll Discussion”, in The Guthrie Daily Leader‎^[2], Guthrie, Oklahoma, page 1:

     The senate was inflated with a superior grade of wind, oratory, and balloon juice yesterday. This unusual condition was brought about by heated discussion of the Coulson-Gandy contest case.

   • 1992 December 22, “So much balloon juice: Hushing up dissent in the House”, in Las Vegas Review-Journal, page 8B:

     All this underscores that the hyperactive posturing from Bryan and others on the dump is so much balloon juice. They’ll say anything to hoodwink voters into believing the dump isn’t inevitable, when all signs point otherwise.

   • 2007, P. J. O'Rourke, Give War a Chance, page 144:

     Iacocca’s book is filled with managerial balloon juice. “The only way you can motivate people is to communicate with them.” […] He exhibits general ignorance of business fundamentals.

2. (informal, slang, dated) Any of various beverages, usually including gas dissolved in liquid.
   • 1897, “A druggist on the situation”, in The Pharmaceutical Era, volume XVIII, number 3, page 65:

     The shiftless, too lazy to keep up with the pace, and the incompetent oftentimes shrewd business men, but indifferent pharmacist, are compelled to purchase the ready-made articles to keep in touch with the ever increasing list of physicians who are too tired to do their own thinking, and who are willing that the patient should take his chances with the wonderful elixir of balloon juice recommended so highly by Prof. X. of the College of Timbuctoo, and of the composition of which they have not the slightest conception.

   • 1898, Jonathon Burwell Frost, Arizona, page 29:

     Imbibe Balloon juice! hoist up your courage mountain high! Drink!

   • [1986, Richard A. Spears, The Slang and Jargon of Drugs and Drink, page 22:

     balloon juice lowerer a total abstainer from liquor LIT: a soda water drinker]

   • 2009 October 31, Gina Mallet, “Recalling classics”, in National Post, Don Mills, Ontario, page TO 4:

     We drink chastely—balloon juice (seltzer). Now a British pub is all about booze. I don’t recall people eating much in pubs beyond bangers on sticks, stolid pork pie, Ryvita spears smeared with Marmite.

Usage notes

When referring to beverages, balloon juice often indicates non-alcoholic drinks, with soda water prototypical. Allsopp notes the word used for sweetened fizzy drinks in Barbados and Guyana. In contrast, Green notes US usage for “any form of alcohol”.