[Off-topic] Re: [Live-devel] Request Headers in RTSP:SPEED Speed-up Delivery

[Dermot McGahon]

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 18:03:13 +0100, <erick.van.rijk at philips.com> wrote:

> BTW where does the expression "red herring" come from? If I remember
> correctly herring is a fish, right?

It is often impossible, at this point in history, to definitively track
down the etymology of phrases such as this. This is usually because the
reason behind the phrase made sense at the time it first came into use,
but does no longer. Only the phrase and its meaning remain.

Anyway, here is an attempt to explain this one. I suspect you will be sorry
you ever asked.

http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/herring.htm



Dermot.
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