red herring meaning and definition

RED HERRING noun

Definition of red herring (noun)

1. any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue
2. a dried and smoked herring having a reddish color
   • synonyms: smoked herring
3. 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"
   • synonyms: preliminary prospectus