red herring

音標發(fā)音

I like to imagine a world in which “neither fish, flesh nor good red herring” was irritatingly common.
我喜歡來想象這個“非魚，非肉，也不是標致的紅鯡魚”多到讓人上火的世界。
He says the threat of dangerous quakes is a "red herring" that has slowed investment, particularly federal money.
他說地震的威脇是一塊“紅鯡魚”，使吸引投資受阻，特別是聯(lián)邦資金。
For example Fowler condemned as “clichés” many phrases I'd never heard: “a curate's egg”, “neither fish, flesh nor good red herring”, and so on.
比如說福勒拿來批評“循詞”的許多短語我聽都沒聽說過：“一衹牧師助理的雞蛋”，“非魚，非肉，也不是標致的紅鯡魚”，諸如此類。

Information that is used to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation is called a red herring.

He has also held staff-writer positions at the San Francisco Chronicle, Red Herring, and InformationWeek.
FORBES: Northwestern MutualVoice: Encore Entrepreneurs: Big Dreams For Older Small-Business Owners
The carried interest tax issue, however, is a red herring and a topic for another time.
FORBES: Does the IRS Have Its Mitts on Romney's Foreign Accounts?
Shaking my head in bewilderment, it occurred to me: Could this be a red herring?
FORBES: Yves Saint Laurent: Re-Branding An Icon

a fact, idea, or subject that takes people's attention away from the central point being considered

If you say that something is a red herring, you mean that it is not important and it takes your attention away from the main subject or problem you are considering.