A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

go down like a lead balloon • go down like
ninepins
go down like a lead balloon —fail to have the intended effect;
produce disapproval or disappointment : His jokes about
women drivers went down like a lead balloon.
Note: 
The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the
phrase balloon goes up, the— used when a situation suddenly
becomes serious or critical: The balloon went up when I received
a call stating that two foreigners had been detained by border
guards.
go down like ninepins —
1
. be easily overcome: I was a jack
of all subjects and a master of none but General Papers went
down before me like ninepins. 2. fail in large numbers: During
depressions business units went down like ninepins. The com-
mercial banks of the time did little to help.
go down the river • go up the river
go down the river —
1
. (coll.) slowly decay and fall to pieces
through neglect: “Mike’s car has gone down the river.” “I
thought the champion was wealthy,” said Mr. Queen. “Not
any more.” 2. (U.S. hist.) go into slavery: Percy Driscoll slept
well the night he saved his house-minions from going down
the river.
go up the river —(sl.) be imprisoned: Lager-beer had come
up since I went up the river.
go down the wrong way • go the wrong way
go down the wrong way —said of food stuck in one’s throat
causing one to choke and cough: The child coughed and
coughed because a piece of bread had gone down the wrong
way.
go the wrong way —
1
. take the wrong path or road: He men-
tioned this to the driver, who realized that yes, in fact, we
were going the wrong way. 2. = go down the wrong way: The
verb “to quackle” is used in Suffolk in reference to suffocation,
when caused by “drink going the wrong way.” 3. be erroneous
in conduct or actions: When those rules are broken, there
must be a just punishment to hinder them from going the
wrong way.