red herring

Definitions

General English

• noun a piece of information which is not important, and is given to someone to distract attention from what is really important.

Banking

• noun a preliminary prospectus, the first prospectus for a new share issue, produced to see the market reaction to the proposed issue, but without giving a price for the new shares. This is similar to the British ‘pathfinder prospectus’; called this because the first page has a notice printed in red which states that it is not a full offer.

Construction

• A proposed contract term that is not critical, but is offered for the purpose of distracting the other party.

Food

• Whole herring cured in brine for several weeks then smoked until a mahogany colour. Must be desalted by soaking before eating. Usually used as part of a mixed hors d’oeuvres or as decoration for egg-based canapés.

Idiom

• something that diverts or distracts attention from the main argument

Nearby Definitions of “red herring”

• reception
• record
• recover
• recovery
• recovery time
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• Redgrave family
• reduce
• referee
• reference
• reflector

Contexts for “red herring”

5 definitions in context
• General English
• Banking
• Construction
• Food
• Idiom