Search in full dictionary
RED HERRING (11)
RED HERRING (11)
ScnMaster
something intended to divert
attention
from the real
problem
or
matter
at
hand
; a misleading clue.
Red herring
is
herring
that has been cured by
smoke
, a
process
that changes the
color
of the flesh to a reddish hue. Its persistent
odor
is very useful, if trailed over the
ground
, for
training
a
dog
to follow a
scent
. But a
dog
which gets a good whiff of
red herring
will
lose
any other
scent
that it has been
following
. Criminals who have been chased by bloodhounds have used this
knowledge
to advantage. Thus the expression to
drag
a
red herring
over the trail and
similar
expressions are used to
refer
to anything which misleads one or causes one to
lose
the trail.
—
Academy
Level II
Glossary