A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences toward a false conclusion.

What are examples of red herring?

This fallacy consists in diverting attention from the real issue by focusing instead on an issue having only a surface relevance to the first. Examples: Son: "Wow, Dad, it's really hard to make a living on my salary." Father: "Consider yourself lucky, son.

What does it mean when you say it's a red herring?

A favourite term in detective stories and 'whodunnits', a red herring refers to a deliberately misleading clue that diverts attention from the truth.