NOUN
- any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue
- a dried and smoked herring having a reddish color
-
a first draft of a prospectus; must be clearly marked to indicate that parts may be changed in the final prospectus
because some portions of the cover page are printed in red ink a preliminary prospectus is sometimes called a red herring
How To Use red herring In A Sentence
- I have more smoke in my mouth than would blote a hundred herrings. Diary of Samuel Pepys — Volume 12: September/October 1661
- The link with the charismatic movement may be a red herring, but there is at least a tangential link in that the standard Western confirmation prayer (both medieval and in the classic BCPs from 1549 on) centers on the bishop praying for the confirmand to receive strengthening from the Holy Spirit and his seven-fold gifts (ala Stand Firm
- This relationship, whose validity ultimately depends on statistical arguments may be one of the greatest red herrings of the subject.
- DEAR EXPERIENCE: When a partner "nags," the nagging becomes the relationship red herring, soaking up the emotional energy, while the source of the discontent can be pushed aside. Ask Amy
- Rather, the entire story of the missing insurance fraudster is seemingly a red herring, an excuse to tell a story about Bellamy and his compulsive work ethic, his off-handed destructiveness toward the people in his life and his seeming cluelessness about himself. Marshall Fine: HuffPost Review: Inspector Bellamy
- It heaped censure on 'red herrings' being deployed by both campaigns. Times, Sunday Times
- This We Could Be Famous post on garbage contracts and racial red herrings is well worth your while. Archive 2007-11-01
- Neither fish nor good red herring.
- I believe the issue of culpability is very important, and this nonsense of guilt on the part of derivative players such as Pelosi is a red herring, both legally and practically. Discourse.net: At the Sharp End: The Highest Officials Authorize Torture of a Clerk
- Criticising PETA is a red herring that people use to shift the focus away from themselves.