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I'm kind of ashamed to be a celebrity. I don't understand wanting to read about other people's dirty laundry. I think celebrity is the biggest red herring society has ever pulled on itself.
Jude Law

Meaning of "red herring" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF RED HERRING

red herring play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF RED HERRING

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Red herring is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES RED HERRING MEAN IN ENGLISH?

red herring

Red herring

The idiom "red herring" is used to refer to something that misleads or distracts from the relevant or important issue. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or characters towards a false conclusion. A red herring might be intentionally used, such as in mystery fiction or as part of a rhetorical strategy, or it could be inadvertently used during argumentation as a result of poor logic. The origin of the expression is not known. Conventional wisdom has long supposed it to be the use of a kipper to train hounds to follow a scent, or to divert them from the correct route when hunting; however, modern linguistic research suggests that the term was probably invented in 1807 by English polemicist William Cobbett, referring to one occasion on which he had supposedly used a kipper to divert hounds from chasing a hare, and was never an actual practice of hunters. The phrase was later borrowed to provide a formal name for the logical fallacy and literary device.

Definition of red herring in the English dictionary

The definition of red herring in the dictionary is anything that diverts attention from a topic or line of inquiry. Other definition of red herring is a herring cured by salting and smoking.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE RED HERRING

red flag
red fox
red giant
red grouse
Red Guard
Red Guards
red gum
red gurnard
red hat
red heat
Red Indian
red jasmine
red kangaroo
red kite
red kowhai
red lead
red light
red line
red man
red matipo

WORDS THAT END LIKE RED HERRING

barring
blurring
bring
charring
conferring
earring
furring
herring
incurring
jarring
occurring
preferring
recurring
referring
scarring
slurring
sparring
starring
stirring
transferring
warring

Synonyms and antonyms of red herring in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «red herring» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF RED HERRING

Find out the translation of red herring to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of red herring from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «red herring» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

红鲱鱼
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

cortina de humo
570 millions of speakers

English

red herring
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

रेड हेरिंग
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الرنجة الحمراء
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

отвлекающий маневр
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

arenque vermelho
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

লাল হেরিং
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

hareng rouge
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Herring merah
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Ablenkungsmanöver
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

おとり
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

레드 헤링 (Red Herring)
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Herring abang
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

cá trích đỏ
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சிவப்பு ஹெர்ரிங்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

रेड हेरिंग
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

kırmızı ringa
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

specchietto per le allodole
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

red Herring
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

відволікаючий маневр
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

hering roșu
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κόκκινο ρέγγα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

red Herring
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

villospår
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

rød sild
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of red herring

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «RED HERRING»

The term «red herring» is quite widely used and occupies the 43.548 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
80
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «red herring» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of red herring
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «red herring».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «RED HERRING» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «red herring» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «red herring» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about red herring

EXAMPLES

3 QUOTES WITH «RED HERRING»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word red herring.
1
Conrad Black
The Arabs could have peace tomorrow if sufficient numbers of Palestinians were not content to be used as cannon fodder in fruitless assaults on Israel, even as the surrounding Arab powers distract the Arab masses with the red herring of Israel while retarding their countries with their repression and corruption.
2
William Devane
I knew with The West Wing that that wasn't going to be for very long, that I was just the red herring.
3
Jude Law
I'm kind of ashamed to be a celebrity. I don't understand wanting to read about other people's dirty laundry. I think celebrity is the biggest red herring society has ever pulled on itself.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «RED HERRING»

Discover the use of red herring in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to red herring and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel
As the red herrings pile up, Flavia must sort through clues fishy and foul to untangle dark deeds and dangerous secrets. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alan Bradley's I Am Half-Sick of Shadows.
Alan Bradley, 2011
2
Red Herring
Jane Anderson's bittersweet transgender domestic comedy-drama...is thoughtful and touching and full of wit and wisdom. A real audience pleaser. --Hollywood Reporter.
Michael Hollinger, 2002
3
Red Herring
Red Herring is a story about courage triumphant over fear.
Clyde W. Ford, 2005
4
Fish, Flesh and Good Red Herring
From the cooking methods of Ulysses to Victorian nursery fare, from Biblical food facts to modern food fads, Alice Thomas Ellis took delight in all things gastronomical, and generously seasoned her gallimaufry with anecdote and wit.Fish, ...
Alice Thomas Ellis, 2006
5
Red Herring Mysteries: Solving Mysteries Through Critical ...
Designed to develop a child's inferential and deductive thinking skills for more effective reading, listening, and logical thinking. Activitiesencourage creative brainstorming and flexible thinking.
Thomas Camilli, 2008
6
The Red Herring Mystery
The reader, as assistant detective, must gather clues from the text and illustrations to help solve a mystery involving a stately home full of possible suspects and a disappearing fish-shaped ruby.
Paul Adshead, 1996
7
Red Herring: A Joe Gunther Novel
VBI (Vermont Bureau of Investigation) head Joe Gunther and his team are called in to investigate a series of violent deaths that appear unrelated until telltale clues reveal a linkage between them and that all of the deaths are, in fact, ...
Archer Mayor, 2010
8
The Long Red Herring: A Comedy Thriller
THE. LONG. RED. HERRING. A Comedy Thriller in Two Acts For 2 Men and 6 Women (or 3 men and 5 women) CHARACTERS PROFESSOR KLEINE . .a slightly stodgy teacher of Creative Literature, large man in his mid-5Qs RUDY ...
David Patrick Cook, Pat Cook, 1994
9
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Novel
BONUS: This edition contains a The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie discussion guide and an excerpt from Alan Bradley's The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag.
Alan Bradley, 2009
10
Operation Red Herring
Many clues are scattered throughout the novel. You may have to reread sections of the novel to discover them. Even the murder weapons are unusual. And, at least one character will turn out to be someone who really is not what you think.
David H. Brown

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «RED HERRING»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term red herring is used in the context of the following news items.
1
YuppTV selected as a Red Herring Top 100 North America winner
The Red Herring Top 100 award is widely recognized as one of the industry's more prestigious recognitions, with hundreds of candidates from each continent ... «PR Newswire, Jun 15»
2
Evolve IP Selected as a Red Herring Top 100 North America Winner
WAYNE, Pa., June 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Evolve IP, The Cloud Services Company™, announced that Red Herring has named it as one of the Top ... «PR Newswire, Jun 15»
3
Coupa Software Selected a 2015 Red Herring Top 100 North …
Since 1996, Red Herring has kept tabs on these up-and-comers. ... was by no means a small feat,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. “In fact ... «MarketWatch, Jun 15»
4
AvidXchange a winner of international award for technology …
“It is truly an honor to find ourselves on the Red Herring Top 100 with so many prestigious companies that are also leaders within their spaces and changing the ... «Charlotte Business Journal, Jun 15»
5
TowerSec Is Winner For 2015 Red Herring Top 100 North America …
SAN DIEGO, June 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- TowerSec, an automotive cyber security supplier, has been chosen as a winner for 2015 Red Herring Top 100 North ... «PR Newswire, Jun 15»
6
Hoosier Companies on Red Herring 'Short-List'
Red Herring has been selecting the most exciting and promising start-ups and "scale ups" since 1995. Finalists are still evaluated individually from a large pool ... «Inside Indiana Business, May 15»
7
FreeWavz Announced as a Finalist for the 2015 Red Herring Top …
MAITLAND, Fla., May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- FreeWavz (www.FreeWavz.com) today announced that it has been selected as a finalist for Red Herring's Top ... «PR Newswire, May 15»
8
Israel dominates Red Herring Top 100
Following a record showing of 10 Israeli high-tech firms named to last year's Red Herring Top 100 list for Europe, Israel won more spots (19) than any other ... «ISRAEL21c, Apr 15»
9
Red Herring Top 100 Europe winners announced
The Red Herring Top 100 Europe event came to a close last week in Amsterdam, where 100 of the brightest and startups on the continent walked away with an ... «Red Herring, Apr 15»
10
'Gotham': Could the 'Red Hood' Be a Red Herring?
Sure, the episode's title is “Red Hood,” which is certainly a loaded term when it comes to the Joker, but the Clown Prince of Crime is far from the only character in ... «Hollywood Reporter, Feb 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Red herring [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/red-herring>. Apr 2024 ».
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