Meaning a distraction or false trail, the expression “red herring” has been relatively commonly used for the last two centuries, and its origins do, in fact, begin with a rust-colored fish. However, until quite recently, the accepted origins of red herring were themselves a false trail.
The literal sense of a red herring dates to at least 1250 AD when Walter of Bibbesworth wrote in The Treatise, “He etep no ffyssh But Heryng red.” A product of the process used to preserve the fish into a kipper, the herring is cured in salt brine and then smoked for up to 10 days. If enough brine is used, the fish turns a red, coppery color with a rather strong smell. Capable of being stored for long periods of time, this dried kipper was inedible until after it was first soaked in water to remove the salt, and then it could be warmed and eaten.
A staple in English society, particularly among the poor, there would have been a fair amount of tough, dried red herring hanging about. And, given that they had a strong smell, it makes sense that their aroma would attract animals. Accordingly, in 1697, Nicholas Cox described just such a use in The Gentleman’s Recreation, where a red herring was supposedly dragged along a route to get a young puppy to learn to follow a trail.
Others expounded upon Cox’s idea and said that later in the training, while following a fox or badger, a red herring would be dragged perpendicular across the animal’s path to confuse the dog at first, but ultimately lead to a dog that could stick to an original scent as opposed to a compelling, intervening scent. This explanation was, for many years, accepted as the origin of using red herring to mean a false trail.
Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback
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