IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishred herring
Meaning: Something used to divert someone's attention from the real or important issue; something used to send a searcher in the wrong direction.
Example: “The missing glove turned out to be a red herring in the investigation.”
Origin: A red herring is a strong-smelling smoked fish. The journalist William Cobbett wrote in 1807 of using one to lay a false trail and lead hounds away from a hare, as a parable about the press. A popular belief that dog trainers commonly used herrings this way is not well supported, but Cobbett's story made the phrase.
More English idioms
- rub elbows with someone To associate with someone; to come into contact with someone.
- rub someone the wrong way To irritate someone.
- run amok To run around in a frenzied or disorderly way.
- run circles around someone To outperform someone by a wide margin; to be better than someone.
- run its course To follow a natural progression without interference.
- run-of-the-mill Ordinary or usual.
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Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
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