unforum

Valfreya

Red herring

**Posted:** Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:50 pm

Dorkmaster

A Red Herring is a trail or a theory that is mildly supported, but incorrect.

A Herring is a fish. My understanding of the origin of this term is that when dogs were used to hunt down criminals, if they threw a red herring (a fish) down one path, but the criminal went down another, the dogs would falsely follow the scent of the food, not the criminal. So the idea is that a "red herring" leads you the wrong way...

Does that make sense?

EDIT: If I'm wrong here, please correct me and I'll be glad to clear this post. I don't have time (at work) to investigate the origins, but that was what I had been told long ago.

**Posted:** Thu Jan 13, 2005 5:23 pm

_________________
"The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet." -William Gibson
"Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." - PJ O'Rourke
"ACADEMY, n. A modern school where football is taught." - Ambrose Bierce

Varin

**Posted:** Thu Jan 13, 2005 5:50 pm

_________________
"I still miss him to this day and probably always will." - Todd Keeler, Chasing the Wish

"meta meta meta, I made you out of play..." ~ j5

Dorkmaster

Ok, work died down, so I did research. First topic googled under "red herring origin" and I get this, so I guess I was right.

**Posted:** Thu Jan 13, 2005 6:20 pm

_________________
"The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet." -William Gibson
"Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." - PJ O'Rourke
"ACADEMY, n. A modern school where football is taught." - Ambrose Bierce

Arbitrary_Moss

Please, do correct me if I'm mistaken, but... I beleive that the herring was indeed red because it was cured?
~Mossy

**Posted:** Thu May 12, 2005 10:20 pm

_________________
'Life is distracting and uncertain,'
She said, and went to draw the curtain.
~Edward Gorey, The Eleventh Episode

... what can I say? I'm a Gorey girl at heart.

Life's just a bowl of... syntax errors.

SpaceBass

Dorkmaster's link appears to agree with you.

**Posted:** Fri May 13, 2005 1:45 am

_________________
Alternate Reality Gaming
http://www.unfiction.com/

Arbitrary_Moss

Oh wow. Didn't even see the link. Embarassed

I think I'm going blind... No, wait. I know I'm going blind.
~Blinded Mossy

**Posted:** Fri May 13, 2005 11:17 am

_________________
'Life is distracting and uncertain,'
She said, and went to draw the curtain.
~Edward Gorey, The Eleventh Episode

... what can I say? I'm a Gorey girl at heart.

Life's just a bowl of... syntax errors.

addlepated

As long as your palms aren't hairy, you should be okay.

**Posted:** Fri May 13, 2005 10:01 pm

MageSteff

**Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:46 pm

_________________
Magesteff
A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

Dorkmaster

Ah Magesteff! I love that you come into a months-old conversation, and continue the line of juvenile joking. (I'm totally being serious, by the way... I'm a total dorky joke fiend, as my sig illuminates...)

Yay for jokes! Yay for Magesteff! Yay for "red herring" having (hopefully) nothing to do with the rest of this thead beyond the first couple posts!

**Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:21 pm

_________________
"The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet." -William Gibson
"Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." - PJ O'Rourke
"ACADEMY, n. A modern school where football is taught." - Ambrose Bierce

oliverkeers13

THis is exactly the sort of situation where the beating vagina emoticon would be useful to fight back the onanists! We Are WOman, Hear Us Roar! Meow!

**Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:29 pm

_________________
"You're talking last ditch, I need top drawer" V
"To be in opposition is not to be a nihilist" CH
"im iver an idiot or a genus" Dekuprince
Perplex City Video

Dorkmaster

Ok, was I the only person who tried to figure out the anagram of:

THWAWOHURM

? Rolling Eyes

**Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:48 pm

_________________
"The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet." -William Gibson
"Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." - PJ O'Rourke
"ACADEMY, n. A modern school where football is taught." - Ambrose Bierce

Rolerbe

Curious useless factoid: In the world of finance, a 'Red Herring' refers to the stock prospectus sent out by a company on the verge of an IPO. This comes about (I think) because some of the key info (ie. very specific financial details) are printed in red ink and are subject to change right up until the IPO event.

Seems to have nothing to do with the traditional usage of the phrase as listed above, but then again, in today's world of dubious corporate values, maybe it does?!

**Posted:** Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:00 pm

_________________
Failure isn't the worst thing in the world. Repeatedly trying really, really hard, then failing, now that's something.