Red Herring

Pronunciation: /rɛd ˈhɛrɪŋ/

Definitions of red herring

noun a clue or piece of information that is intended to be misleading or distracting

Example Sentences

A1 A red herring is a fish that is smoked and turned red in color.

A2 In the mystery novel, the detective realized the clue was a red herring.

B1 The politician's statement was seen as a red herring to distract from the real issue.

B2 The prosecutor accused the defense of using a red herring argument to confuse the jury.

C1 The journalist uncovered the red herring in the company's financial report, revealing the true financial status.

C2 The author skillfully planted red herrings throughout the story to keep the readers guessing until the end.

Examples of red herring in a Sentence

formal The detective quickly realized that the evidence was a red herring in the case.

informal Don't be fooled by that clue, it's just a red herring.

slang That piece of information is a total red herring, don't pay it any mind.

figurative His excuse was just a red herring to distract from the real issue.

Grammatical Forms of red herring

• past tense: red herrings
• plural: red herrings
• comparative: more red herring
• superlative: most red herring
• present tense: red herring
• future tense: will be red herring
• perfect tense: have been red herring
• continuous tense: is being red herring
• singular: red herring
• positive degree: red herring
• infinitive: to red herring
• gerund: red herring
• participle: red herring

Origin and Evolution of red herring

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The term 'red herring' originated from the practice of using smoked herring fish to train hunting dogs in the 17th century.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the term 'red herring' evolved to describe a misleading or distracting clue or piece of information that leads people off track from the real issue or problem.