start a fresh hare
To divert a discussion or argument from its conclusion.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Don't start a fresh hare while we are discussing the budget.”
“She starts a fresh hare to avoid answering my direct question.”
“Please do not start a fresh hare when we are so close to finishing.”
“Just as we reached a decision, he started a fresh hare to distract everyone from the main problem.”
“You always start a fresh hare about the housework whenever I try to talk to you about our monthly savings plan.”
“The manager started a fresh hare about the new office furniture because he did not want to explain the recent project delays.”
“I was ready to sign the contract until my lawyer started a fresh hare regarding a minor detail in the third paragraph.”
“The politician started a fresh hare during the debate, successfully shifting the audience's focus away from his previous policy failures.”
The idiom arises as an extension of the earlier phrase to start a hare, derived from the vocabulary of the hunt. It denotes the act of flushing a new animal from cover, thereby diverting the hounds from their original quarry and onto a different scent.
- 01
breath of fresh air
Something relieving, refreshing, or new.
- 02
don't get someone started
Used to attempt to avoid or abbreviate a discussion that speaker or hearer may wish to avoid.
- 03
fits and starts
Activity which is intermittent, variable in intensity, and prolonged by interruptions.
- 04
flying start
An especially good start.
- 05
fresh legs
A substitute who has yet to play in the match, and therefore has more energy than those already on the field.
- 06
fresh off the boat
Newly arrived from a foreign place, especially as an immigrant who is still unfamiliar with the customs and language of their new environment.
- 07
fresh out of
Of someone who has recently left one stage of life to begin another.
- 08
fresh start
A new beginning, without prejudices.
Last updated August 10, 2026