red herring

noun

1

: a herring cured by salting and slow smoking to a dark brown color

2

[from the practice of drawing a red herring across a trail to confuse hunting dogs] : something that distracts attention from the real issue

Did you know?

Believe it or not, red herring has as much to do with hunting dogs as with brightly colored fish. Here's how: A herring is a soft-finned bony fish. People who like to eat herring have long preserved them by salting and slowly smoking them. That process makes a herring turn red or dark brown - and gives them a very strong smell. Dogs love to sniff such smelly treats, a fact that makes the fish a perfect diversion for anyone trying to distract hunting dogs from the trail of their quarry. The practice of using preserved fish to confuse hunting dogs led to the use of the term red herring for anything that diverts attention from the issue at hand.

Example Sentences

The argument is a red herring. It actually has nothing to do with the issue.

The plot of the mystery was full of red herrings.

Recent Examples on the Web

The concept of ethical consumption is a red herring. —Jessica Ferri, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2023

The industry’s latest red herring? —David Mitchell, STAT, 17 Feb. 2023

The brief questioning of Kuehl and Hahn was ultimately somewhat of a red herring — prosecutors did not claim that Ridley-Thomas pressured his colleagues on the board to vote one way or another. —David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2023

But this may be a bit of a red herring. —Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 8 Mar. 2023

Elizabeth Warren and other progressives are trying to blame rule changes made during the Trump presidency for the lack of regulatory oversight, but that is a red herring. —The Editors, National Review, 15 Mar. 2023

The guns are a red herring. —Laura Jedeed, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2023

In Seed Money, wealth is a red herring. —Laura Jane Standley, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2022

This red herring argument misses the point. —Gautham Viswanathan, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

red herring

noun

: something intended to distract attention from the real problem

Legal Definition

red herring

noun

red her·​ring

ˌred-ˈher-iŋ

: a preliminary prospectus (as for the sale of securities) that is not yet approved by the appropriate body (as the Securities and Exchange Commission)

Etymology

red herring something that distracts attention from the main issue, diversion