Question

The mystery novelist decided at the last minute to include an ex-convict, who would later prove to be innocent, as a suspect in her story; she was using this new character as a red herring. What is the meaning of this idiom?

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

In the literal sense, red herring is a smelly fish that was once used by escaping prisoners to throw their would-be captors off their trail. The prisoner would drag the fragrant fish across the ground to lead the bloodhounds in the wrong direction. Since that time, the expression red herring has become an idiom for any clues that are purposely dropped to throw the audience off-track. Red herrings are popularly used by politicians, attorneys, and mystery writers to create confusion and distort reality. Let's learn about some red herrings from the Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None.