balloon juice

Noun

balloon juice (uncountable)

1. (US, informal) Empty or exaggerated talk lacking in substance, boasting, chatter, nonsense.
   • 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.1895 February 1, “Day of Droll Discussion”, in The Guthrie Daily Leader, Guthrie, Oklahoma, page 1
   • 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.1992 December 22, “So much balloon juice: Hushing up dissent in the House”, in Las Vegas Review-Journal, page 8B

   Synonyms:

   bunkum, hokum, hooey, hot air, absurdity, all my eye, all my eye and Betty Martin, apple grease, applesauce, bafflegab

2. (dated, informal, slang) Any of various beverages, usually including gas dissolved in liquid.
   • 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...1897, “A druggist on the situation”, in The Pharmaceutical Era, volume XVIII, number 3, page 65
   • Imbibe Balloon juice! hoist up your courage mountain high! Drink!1898, Jonathon Burwell Frost, Arizona, page 29