WordWeb Online

1. Any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue
    
2. A dried and smoked herring having a reddish colour
   - 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";
   - preliminary prospectus

Derived forms: red herring

Type of: course catalog [US], course catalogue, deflection, deflexion [Brit], deviation, digression, divagation, diversion, herring, prospectus

Encyclopedia: Red herring