red herring

[Martha Shaffer]

No: HPFGUIDX 145269

Corey:
"What did you mean by a red herring?"

Martha:
Sorry, Corey.  
Shoot, maybe I'm incorrect on the terms use.
I think the term "red herring" means a story or event deliberately set up to distract attention away something else.  For example,  we were all made to believe that Snape was after the stone in the first book, when  the perpetrator was actually Quirrell.  Setting up all the suspicion about Snape was a "red herring", to distract us from other suspects.  I have no idea where the phrase comes from!

Martha

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