Run It Up the Flagpole
To float an idea to leadership and gauge reaction — 'run it up the flagpole and see who salutes,' from 1950s ad-speak. The full phrase has retired; the running continues.
Heard in the wild
“Draft the proposal and I'll run it up the flagpole.”
Tone check: Cliché
Vintage jargon, still functional. Whoever runs it up controls the framing — write your own summary.