what does is mean when they call something a "red herring"?

Answer 1

A "red herring" is a topic or issue used to distract attention form the issue at hand.

A red herring is a term often used in business. It means that something about a project is not quite as it seems, something might be wrong, so the the red herring acts as a warning.

As for the origin, I think there might be various explanations. One of them says that in the 1800's British fugitives (people fleeing the authorities) would rub a herring across their trail in order to divert (mislead) the bloodhounds that were following them.

The term was used by the Police at Scotland Yard and elsewhere. Also by Sherlock Holmes in the good old days. A Red Herring was used to deceive as a Decoy (an immitation duck on the water) by a criminal (or in war-time) to fool the police (or the enemy) who were on the trail of their antics (or mission).

More ideas at this link. I hope this helps. Best of luck.

Answer 2

In fictional writing, especially in genre such as mystery or suspense, an author may use a "red herring" to throw his/her readers off the trail. A "red herring" seems like a clue or an important fact when you are reading and may give you the impression that a certain person is the one who did it or a certain event is pivotal to the story. In the end, though, you are surprised to find that the person or the event or the fact that you thought was important didn't really have much to do with the story at all. Movies may also use this technique.

Answer 3

A red herring is when someone tries to distract you from the real issue in an argument. It's an old fashioned word for smoked herring, which have a very strong smell. These were used in fox hunts to confuse the hounds by leaving a false trail.

Answer 4

Red herrings are a kind of fish red in color.,

Apart from their colour, they have their strong smell.

They are used to train hounds to follow a scent.

The expression also means 'a deliberately misleading object'

In novels & mysteries, the expression a "red herring" is used to denote an extraneous character meant to DIVERT the reader's attention from the true CULPRIT. (guilty person)

So 'Red Herring' is a misleading object.

Source: Urban Dictionary

Answer 5

From TheFreeDictionary.Com:

"The phrase is believed to originate from the practice of saving a hunted fox by dragging a red herring across its trail to cause the pursuing hounds to lose the true scent and follow the false trail of herring odour instead. "

"The phrase red herring has a number of metaphorical senses that share the general sense of something being a diversion from the original objective:
- a type of logical fallacy in which one purports to prove one's point by means of irrelevant arguments. See Ignoratio elenchi.
- in detective work, mystery fiction, and puzzle-solving, a false clue which leads investigators, readers, or solvers towards an incorrect solution.
- in politics, a minor or even phony issue trumped up as being of great importance, in order to influence voters to vote for one party or candidate and against the other, or distract from more important issues that might help the opposing party.
- in literature, a plot device intended to distract the reader from a more important event in the plot, usually a twist ending. See also MacGuffin.
- in adventure games, an item or object of no practical use; its purpose may be to frustrate the gamer who tries to find the intended use for it. Famous examples are the chainsaw of Maniac Mansion and the actual red herring (although this fish proved useful...) in the original Monkey Island game. Some red herrings exist because some secondary plots or puzzles that existed in drafts were removed from the latest version of the games, but some of the items relevant to those puzzles were forgotten and made their way into the game.

Red herring can also refer to:
- in finance, a preliminary prospectus for an offering of stock, so called for the notice in red type required by law at the top of the front page
- a brief for venture capitalists to tempt them into following up with investment in the business plan
- Red Herring, a business magazine founded in the dot-com boom of the 1990s
- Red Herring Surf, a brand of surfgear in Tasmania
- Red Herring, an artists collective based in Brighton on the south coast of England founded in 1984, seen as one of the pioneers of the establishment of artist run studio organisations in Great Britain
- Red Herring Theatre Ensemble, a professional theatre company in Columbus, Ohio http://www.redherring.org/
"- a radio control "flying-wing" glider made by Liftworx.

Answer 6

an uninportant or non-essential consideration with respect to the argument being presented or the issue being considered, especially if consideration of the red-herring will sidetrack the discussion

Answer 7

A distraction presented to divert attention from another event.

Answer 8

"Something that draws attention away from the central issue." (answers.com)

"Any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue." (dict.die.net)

Basically, a distraction.

Answer 9

something used to get attention away from the real taget, agenda..whatever. like throwing a bone to a dog to get him away from your plate. lol

Answer 10

A Fish.