red herring across the track
She went on:
“A red herring - that’s the vital clue. Armstrong’s not dead … He took away the china soldier to make you think he was. You may say what you like - Armstrong’s on the island still. His disappearance is just a red herring across the track …”
「vital」は「極めて重要な（crucial, essential）」。
＜red herring across the track＞
昔、猟犬の訓練で、追跡すべき臭の通った跡（track）を横切る形で（across）強い臭を発するニシン（red herring）をばら撒きました。そこから「red herring」「red herring across the track」は「人の注意をそらすもの（a piece of information or suggestion introduced to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation）」の意になりました。
She went on:
“A red herring - that’s the vital clue. Armstrong’s not dead … He took away the china soldier to make you think he was. You may say what you like - Armstrong’s on the island still. His disappearance is just a red herring across the track …”
「vital」は「極めて重要な（crucial, essential）」。
＜red herring across the track＞
昔、猟犬の訓練で、追跡すべき臭の通った跡（track）を横切る形で（across）強い臭を発するニシン（red herring）をばら撒きました。そこから「red herring」「red herring across the track」は「人の注意をそらすもの（a piece of information or suggestion introduced to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation）」の意になりました。
