ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

red herring

A red herring is a phrase or idea used to distract someone from the main point. It's like if someone were trying to find something important, but was tricked into looking in the wrong place. For example, if someone were looking for their car keys, their mom might tell them to look in the fridge; although the keys would never be there, this comment would be a red herring, taking their attention away from where the keys really were.