Noun:

1. any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue

2. a dried and smoked herring having a reddish color

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"
   

smoked herring烟海令鱼

preliminary prospectus[经] 初步募股书

1. The subsidies debate is a red herring.
   关于补助的争论不过是转移注意力的幌子。
2. The police often put out such red herrings to scare the culprit into panicking.
   警察总是给出这种转移注意力的东西，让罪魁祸首惊惶恐惧。