Definition
To float an idea, (or otherwise do some action) to see what response or controversy (if any) it generates, usually as a preliminary step.
In Context
- "Much of the discourse on and the spirit of group interaction have an improvisational flavor: we “float trial balloons” in the groups we belong to or “raise a flag and see who salutes.”"
See Also
- nail one's colours to the mast
- test the waters