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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Term “Red Herring” Come From and What Does the Expression Mean?

Where Did the Term “Red Herring” Come From and What Does the Expression Mean?

April 8, 2020 by Karen Hill

A “red herring” is a false clue leading detectives off the track during a criminal investigation.

The term comes from a practice once used to train police dogs.

When herring is smoked it becomes red, and when the young dogs were being trained to follow a scent, the trainers tossed smoked fish around to test their ability to follow a trail.

Escaping prisoners learned of the practice and often took red herring along to distract the dogs sent after them.

Misleading evidence is often called a “red herring”.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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