Red herring

/ɹˈɛd hˈɛɹɪŋ/

Red herring

anything that is intended to take people's focus away from what is important

a first draft of a prospectus; must be clearly marked to indicate that parts may be changed in the final prospectus

a dried and smoked herring having a reddish color

Examples

1. Another important document in this part is the Red Herring document.

2. It's a red herring.

3. That was a red herring.

4. Is this just a red herring?