throw a dead cat on the table
to divert attention from something that is damaging you by giving people something more dramatic or shocking to talk aboutThe key point is that everyone will shout ‘Jeez, mate, there’s a dead cat on the table!’; in other words they will be talking about the dead cat, the thing you want them to talk about, and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief
Submitted from:
United Kingdom on 03/02/2016