[Idiom] A RED HERRING. - Strategies for Identifying and Dealing with Misdirection
A red herring.
misleading clue
'A red herring' is something that misleads or distracts from the relevant issue. Originating from a technique of using smoked fish to distract hunting dogs during training exercises, this idiom is employed in discussions or arguments to describe tactics that divert attention away from the main issues, often to avoid dealing with them directly.
Example Sentences
His explanation was just a red herring to distract us.
His explanation was meant to distract us from the main issue.
They introduced the new law as a red herring to divert attention from the crisis.
They used the new law to divert attention from the crisis.
The rumor about layoffs was a red herring to keep employees from knowing the real issues.
The lay-off rumor was intended to distract employees from more significant issues.