Wiktionary
n. (alternative form of smokescreen English)
WordNet
n. (military) screen consisting of a cloud of smoke that obscures movements [syn: smokescreen]
an action intended to conceal or confuse or obscure; "requesting new powers of surveillance is just a smokescreen to hide their failures" [syn: smokescreen]
Wikipedia
A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft or ships.
Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as a tank or a warship).
Whereas smoke screens were originally used to hide movement from enemies' line of sight, modern technology means that they are now also available in new forms; they can screen in the infrared as well as visible spectrum of light to prevent detection by infrared sensors or viewers, and they are also available for vehicles in a superdense form used to block laser beams of enemy target designators or range finders.
Usage examples of "smoke screen".
The whole battalion cheered as the gun barrel slowly rose, its tip no doubt projecting out of the smoke screen now.
They might not have the smoke screen to help them, but that did not necessarily mean they wouldn't land.
All that nonsense about bringing them in alive to stand trial was just a smoke screen.
The UN's Security Council was now saying that their local officers had overstepped their instructions, but this backpedaling did not include an invitation to the Martians to come back up the cable again, so it looked like a smoke screen to Sax.
Breaking out of the smoke screen laid down by the burning ship, two dozen high-speed craft streaked towards the supertanker.
She had warned herself against the danger of letting herself fall in love with him, fretted that she might be losing her heart, but it had all been an emotional smoke screen to keep her from admitting that it was already too late.
The second vessel would follow into the gap seconds behind and explode inside to create a smoke screen.
The smoke screen would be formed by the exploding mass of finely powdered rock dispersing in Detroit’.