misdirection

Definitions

The action of directing someone or something to the wrong place or in the wrong direction.

The use of deceptive tactics to distract attention from a particular area or objective.

Examples

The magician used a clever bit of misdirection to hide the coin in his sleeve.

The detective realized the false clues were merely a calculated misdirection by the culprit.

The politician's speech was full of misdirection, designed to distract the public from the real issue.