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cortina de fumaça — meaning in English

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English meaning

  • red herring noun Something introduced into an argument, investigation or story that draws attention away from the real issue, whether by accident or on purpose.
  • smokescreen noun A cloud of smoke used to hide troops or movement.

Senses

cortina de fumaça is used for these senses in English:

  • red herring (figuratively) A clue, information, argument, etc. that is or is intended to be misleading, diverting attention from the real answer or issue.
  • smokescreen Smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover, as of troops in battle.
  • smokescreen (figuratively) Anything used metaphorically to conceal or distract.

red herring — full definition

  1. noun Something introduced into an argument, investigation or story that draws attention away from the real issue, whether by accident or on purpose.
  2. noun In logic and debate, a fallacy in which an irrelevant point is raised to divert an argument from the question being addressed.
  3. noun A herring cured by smoking and salting until it turns reddish-brown.

smokescreen — full definition

  1. noun A cloud of smoke used to hide troops or movement.
  2. noun Something used to distract from or conceal the truth.

Related Portuguese words