What does the idiom 'red-herring ' mean?

Answer 1

In a crime or mystery story, the author will sometimes put in misleading information so that the reader or viewer is diverted away from guessing which character is the real villain. It is thought to come from the practice of hunting foxes with a pack of dogs, where a smelly fish is dragged across the trail of the fox in order to mislead the dogs.

Although this can be a herring cured by salting and smoking, the actual fish used is more likely a kipper, which will take on a characteristically reddish hue.

The term is more widely applied to deliberate disinformation, used as a diversion. For example, a politician might suggest a connection between his opponent and some fictitious illegal act, to occupy the investigative press and avoid revelations about his own activities.
Something intended to divert attention from the real problem. A misleading clue.
A distraction, something which you are meant to think has some relevance to the story line, but in fact means nothing.

Something that draws attention away from the central issue, in a story.
The English term 'red herring' has several distinct senses or meanings: 1: a first draft of a prospectus; must be clearly marked to indicate that parts may be changed in the final prospectus; 2: any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue; 3: a dried and smoked herring having a reddish color

Answer 2

Apexvs.

"We let go of a lot of our employees and used that money for increased executive compensation, and it was a tough decision, but the right one. Sales are booming once again and everyone's looking forward to the company picnic. Remember to get your company key ring when you leave the meeting."

Answer 3

A "red herring" is a purposely-placed misleading clue or piece of information.

Some examples of red herrings:

• During an election, a politician suggests that his opponent accepted money from a disreputable source. While the media investigates, his own shady dealings avoid scrutiny.
• In World War II, the Germans were convinced that the Allies would invade France at Calais, which was an elaborate ruse. By the time the Germans realized no attack was coming, the D-Day invasion at Normandy had succeeded.
• Writers, and characters in their writings, may employ red herrings for purposes of distraction. In the Sherlock Holmes adventure "The Adventure of the Priory School," a fruitless lead in the disappearance of a young aristocrat distracts the authorities and leaves Holmes to start with a cold trail.

(see related question)

Answer 4

Long ago when fox hounds were being trained to track a fox, the trainers would drag a smelly, red herring (a fish) across the fox trail to try to trick the dogs into following the wrong (or false) scent. Today, the most common use of the term is to mean a purposefully misleading clue to make someone follow the wrong path, come to an erroneous conclusion, etc.

For example: The discovery of a woman's hat at the murder scene was a red herring to the detectives as the murderer was male.

Red Herring also refers to the document published by a company that wants to offer new stock in advance of the actual offering. The term is derived from the color of the binding.

Answer 5

The commonly given folk etymology is that it is because red herrings were used by criminals to throw the dogs of their pursuers off of their scent. However, this is not the case.

The first recorded use of red herring as we use it today came in the 1800s when William Cobbett, a journalist, wrote about distracting dogs with a red herring and compared it to how journalists were similarly distracted by false information (Quinion, Michael. "The Lure of the Red Herring." World Wide Words. 25 Oct 2008).

This meaning was extended over time to mean any false or misleading clues or information, as well as to refer to the logical fallacy.

Answer 6

A "red herring" is piece of evidence (literal or metaphorical evidence) which suggests something which is untrue.

In detective literature, for example, the writer may include pieces of information which suggest that a character is the murderer, when this is not true. The effect of this is to make the reader believe one thing, and then be surprised when the truth is revealed.

Answer 7

A red herring is piece of information which is intended to be misleading. For instance: "After several days following the treasure map, we decided we were being led on a red herring, and gave up!"

Answer 8

A technique used to mislead, divert one's attention, or change the subject.

Answer 9

You can't ground me for sneaking out last night! I've stayed in every other time you told me to, and I did all my chores yesterday!

Answer 10

The meaning of the English language idiom called red herring is a piece of information which is intended to draw someone away from the truth or the facts of a situation.