Heterogenium (he’-ter-o-gen-i-um): Avoiding an issue by changing the subject to something different. Sometimes considered a vice.
A: Where did you get that watch?
B: I’ve been at it all day. Watching birds. I saw seven species. The best was the pileated woodpecker. I don’t know what pileated means. I bet it is important. They are gigantic and they sound like a jackhammer when they’re banging on a tree. I love birds, except for pigeons.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
An edition of the Daily Trope is available on Amazon under title The Book of Tropes.
The Daily Trope 