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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/25/2018
Posts: 1,776
Neurons: 7,730
Location: İstoç, Istanbul, Turkey
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A red herring drawn across a fox's path destroys the scent.
What does "drawn across" mean?
What does "the scent" refer to?
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/4/2015
Posts: 4,437
Neurons: 1,067,269
Location: Vinton, Iowa, United States
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Drawn across means dragged across.
The scent is the scent/smell/odor of the fox.
That's literal. But what you need to know is the figurative meaning.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/28/2013
Posts: 1,910
Neurons: 14,578
Location: Calabasas, California, United States
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Wilmar (USA) wrote:Drawn across means dragged across.
The scent is the scent/smell/odor of the fox.
That's literal. But what you need to know is the figurative meaning. Interesting. It didn't occur to me that it was a metaphor. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/05/origins-phrase-red-herring/
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/12/2011
Posts: 33,933
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Location: Livingston, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Perhaps a little social history of England will help.  This is a fox hunt. [image not available] That bunch of hounds search around for the scent of a fox and follow it through the fields and woods (and sometimes through people's gardens). The people on horses follow on or keep alongside the hounds. When they catch the fox, the hounds rip it to pieces and everyone has a drink to celebrate. Some people don't feel this is sporting, so they try to make the hounds lose the scent. If you drag an old fish along the ground, the hounds may become distracted and end up following THAT scent. Aniseed essence on a cloth dragged along the ground works quite well, too.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 3/30/2016
Posts: 1,810
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Location: Luton, England, United Kingdom
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Although now hunting foxes with dogs is against the law.
At least it’s supposed to be hunts still go out after fake scent and sometimes “accidentally” kill a real fox.
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