Red herring: fresh today only

Posted by Smokey Stover on June 23, 2005

In Reply to: Red herring: fresh today only posted by James Briggs on June 23, 2005

: : The Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Day is "red herring." View the origin of this phrase at www.oed.com

: I couldn't get that link to work.

The essential ingredient is this OED citation: "1686 N. COX Gentl. Recreat. v. (ed. 3) 65 The trailing or dragging of a dead Cat, or Fox, (and in case of necessity a Red-Herring) three or four miles..and then laying the Dogs on the scent." SS

• Red herring R. Berg 23/June/05