And once he gets to the surveillance centre I'll be waiting there like a sitting duck - and the whole balloon will burst.

"The balloon is bursting on these deals," said Alan Kazlow, a lawyer with Dreyer and Traub, a firm specializing in co-op matters.

The balloons burst open.

"The deployment system could fail, or the balloon could burst once it's inflated," Dr. Griebel said.

The balloon may burst at any time.

If a red laser is shone at a balloon with a clear outer shell and smaller red balloon trapped inside, the red balloon will burst into shreds while the clear outer balloon is unscathed.

The balloon will burst afterward.

If the initial fill was made at a great depth, the balloon may actually burst before it reached the surface if the elastic limit of the rubber is exceeded.

European auto makers are experiencing the same giddiness that children feel watching someone blow up a balloon - they are delighted to see car demand in Europe expand to record levels, but they are scared that their balloon might burst at any moment.