red herring

音标发音

I like to imagine a world in which “neither fish, flesh nor good red herring” was irritatingly common.
我喜欢来想象这个“非鱼，非肉，也不是标致的红鲱鱼”多到让人上火的世界。
He says the threat of dangerous quakes is a "red herring" that has slowed investment, particularly federal money.
他说地震的威胁是一块“红鲱鱼”，使吸引投资受阻，特别是联邦资金。
For example Fowler condemned as “clichés” many phrases I'd never heard: “a curate's egg”, “neither fish, flesh nor good red herring”, and so on.
比如说福勒拿来批评“循词”的许多短语我听都没听说过：“一只牧师助理的鸡蛋”，“非鱼，非肉，也不是标致的红鲱鱼”，诸如此类。

Information that is used to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation is called a red herring.

He has also held staff-writer positions at the San Francisco Chronicle, Red Herring, and InformationWeek.
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The carried interest tax issue, however, is a red herring and a topic for another time.
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Shaking my head in bewilderment, it occurred to me: Could this be a red herring?
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a fact, idea, or subject that takes people's attention away from the central point being considered

If you say that something is a red herring, you mean that it is not important and it takes your attention away from the main subject or problem you are considering.