what is a red herring in a story

Question

anonymous · Answer

A red herring is... Well, here's an example. Let's say you're reading a mystery story, and the detective is trying to find out who murdered the queen. The bishop, the jester, and the maid are all subjects. The story states that the jester is looking around nervously and tapping his foot, the bishop is looking calm and collected, and the maid won't make eye contact with the detective. If you read this, as the average person, you would probably think that either the jester or the mail did it, but in fact, the jester may just be a very impatient man, and the maid may just dislike looking people in the eyes (I know I do...). They would be the red herrings. They distract you from the main subject.

anonymous · Answer

XD I meant suspects... Not subjects. Darn spellchecker!