balloon
[bə'lu:n] noun countable
ADVANCED
■a small, very thin rubber bag that you blow air into or fill with a light gas until it is round in shape, used for decoration at parties or as a children's toy 气球•We tied balloons and streamers to the ceiling ready for the party.我们把气球和彩带系在天花板上，晚会的布置已准备妥当。 ■(also hot-air balloon)
■a very large balloon that is filled with hot air or gas and can carry people in a basket (= container made of straw) hanging under it 热气球•People first flew in a balloon in 1783.人类于1783年首次乘热气球飞行。 ■* a speech bubble
[bə'lu:n] noun countable
the balloon goes up
■If the balloon goes up, a situation suddenly becomes very serious or unpleasant 形势变严峻；情况变糟•The balloon went up last Friday when the scandal became public.自上周五丑闻公开以后，局面就变得一片混乱。
[bə'lu:n] verb intransitive
■to get bigger and rounder 像气球般膨胀•I ballooned when I became pregnant with my second baby.怀第二个孩子时，我胖得像个气球。 ■to quickly increase in size, weight or importance （在大小、重量或重要性上）激增•The rumours soon ballooned into a full-grown scandal.这些传闻不久就完全演变成了一件丑闻。 |