<P> A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important issue . It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences towards a false conclusion . A red herring might be intentionally used, such as in mystery fiction or as part of rhetorical strategies (e.g. in politics), or it could be inadvertently used during argumentation . </P> <P> The term was popularized in 1807 by English polemicist William Cobbett, who told a story of having used a kipper (a strong - smelling smoked fish) to divert hounds from chasing a hare . </P> <P> As an informal fallacy, the red herring falls into a broad class of relevance fallacies . Unlike the straw man, which is premised on a distortion of the other party's position, the red herring is a seemingly plausible, though ultimately irrelevant, diversionary tactic . According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a red herring may be intentional, or unintentional; it does not necessarily mean a conscious intent to mislead . </P>

Where did the red herring phrase come from