Red herrings

[Nicholas Ostler]

At 8:41 pm +0900 29/4/00, John McCreery wrote:
>In a private message, a correspondent asks me to explain what I mean by the
>term "red herring." I reply as follows. Does anyone here know the correct
>etymology or feel ready to offer another plausible flight of fancy?
>
According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:
A red herring (i.e. one dried, smoked and salted) drawn across a fox's path
destroys the scent and sets the dogs at fault.

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