Meaning of red herring

Definition of red herring

(noun) any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue
a dried and smoked herring having a reddish color
a first draft of a prospectus; must be clearly marked to indicate that parts may be changed in the final prospectus; "because some portions of the cover page are printed in red ink a preliminary prospectus is sometimes called a red herring"

Other information on red herring

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