admiral's potato
The time-honoured practice of deliberately leaving something for a senior officer to find and criticise during his tour of inspection, which gives him a warm smug feeling and (hopefully) deflects his attention from corners that are better left unexamined. The senior officer, who of course was once a junior officer, knows the rules and plays along.
More generally, anything deliberately placed to deflect unwelcome interest.
More generally, anything deliberately placed to deflect unwelcome interest.
"Chief, it's the Captain's inspection at eleven hundred hours. Is there anything he shouldn't see? Well, it's too late now, let's hope for the best. Make sure you leave an admiral's potato for him to find, and tip off whoever will get the bollocking for it."