throw red meat
v.— «Will it finally penetrate even the thick heads of rabble-rousers who have been throwing red meat to lions and hyenas that rabble-rousers, themselves, can be turned into red meat?» —“All They Need is Red Meat” Salisbury Times (Maryland) Oct. 17, 1958. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Why does the term vegetarian cause so much confusion? Some people assume it means avoiding red meat but still eating chicken. And is there a term for a vegetarian who also eats fish and poultry? Plus, screwball comedies from the 1930s mix slapstick...
Ilima in Vancouver, Canada, reports not everyone understands when she tells them she’s vegetarian. Some people assume, for example, that she doesn’t eat red meat but may enjoy chicken. Part of the issue may involve what linguists call prototype...