Red herring

[Sonia]

In novels, usually mystery novels, a red herring is an extraneous character meant to divert the readers attention from the true killer/robber/etc. It is usually a logical choice for the culprit, but ends up being nothing.

[Little_Girl]

Something used to divert attention form the real matter, issue or object(a dead red herring was often used to confuse or test the scent of a hunting dog)

[Tanya Shivari]

Red herrings were often used by jail birds to mislead hound dogs that were tracking them.
The expression red herring refers to something that is misleading.

[Jessica]

Herrings put into a tub with salt or brine, later spitted on sharp wooden spits, and hung up in a chimney to be smoked and dried. Such preserved fish would keep for months (and indeed they were transported in barrels to provide protein on long sea voyages) but were inedible in this state and needed to be soaked to soften them and remove the salt before they could be cooked.
Do I smell a rat?
One key characteristic of red herrings, apart from their colour, was their strong smell, so much so that one use for them on occasion was to train hounds to follow a scent.
a deliberately misleading object

[Rihanna]

technique used by politicians, often conservatives, to distract voters attention away from real and true issues that need immediate address.

[Rihanna]

a passe term that most folks would like to dispense with - bringing to mind smelly fish. A pretentious saying that only pundits and a-holes use.

[Jessica]

• A stinky or pungent vagina.

Origin:
The red comes from the color of it, and the herring is because it smells like fish.

[Tanya Shivari]

A term used to describe a guy/girl who youre going out with/fucking just to get over someone else you cant get.
Red herrings were often used to mislead hound dogs; the expression refers to something that is misleading.
Therefore - you try to convince yourself that you like someone (to mislead you/lead you away from the person you actually like), and call him/her your red herring.

[Tina]

A girls excuse to not engage in intercourse because she feels as if she might be getting her red tide soon. This is the equivalent of the logical fallacy.

[Little_Girl]

you cum in a girls eyes then you hit her in the nose with a rowing oar. causing her nose to bleed everywhere and flop around like a fish.

Side effects: broken nose, blindness, and/or death