>To divert attention from something that is bad
>To change the topic from something that is more important to something that is not
>To hide something
>A small part (of something) controlling the big part
>Circumstances where a larger group does things in order to satisfy a smaller group
There is a popular saying which goes “a dog is smarter than its tail, but if the tail were smarter, then the tail would wag the dog
Example
The minister keeps wagging the dog to keep people from actually finding out about the scam and its details.
I had to wag the dog so that he does not find out where I had actually gone this afternoon.