red herring

noun

Meaning

A herring that is cured in smoke and brine strong enough to turn the flesh red; a type of kipper.
A clue, information, argument etc. that is or is intended to be misleading, diverting attention from the real answer or issue.
A red herring prospectus.

Etymology / origin

No prose etymology has been added yet.

No ancestor words have been linked yet.

Related words

smoked herring(English)white herring(English)red hake(English)pickle-herring(English)redfish(English)herring(English)round herring(English)kipper(English)

Descendant words

No descendant words have been linked yet.

Sources

DictionaryAPI.dev English dictionary data