throw red meat
v.— «His immediate strategy is to cut down the number of speaking engagements, particularly those fund-raising affairs where he is obligated to throw red meat out for Republicans hungry to feast on those no-good Democrats and other bad guys.» —“Spiro Agnew Goes Low Key” by Nick Thimmesch Sheboygan Press (Mich.) Jan. 4, 1973. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Mary Beth in Greenville, South Carolina, wonders: Why do we say four-oh-nine for the number 409 instead of four-zero-nine or four-aught-nine? What are the rules for saying either zero or oh or aught or ought to indicate that arithmetical symbol...
Responding to someone during a dispute with What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? is a way to deflect the comment or derail the discussion entirely. While the phrase the price of tea in China is the most common version...