IdiomNature
German
GermanAuf dem Holzweg sein
Meaning: To be on completely the wrong track.
Literally: To be on the timber track
Example: “Wenn du denkst, ich habe deinen Kuchen gegessen, bist du auf dem Holzweg.” — If you think I ate your cake, you're barking up the wrong tree.
English equivalent: To bark up the wrong tree
Origin: A Holzweg is a logging track, cut into the forest only to haul out felled trees, and it ends in the middle of the woods. A traveler who mistook one for a real road never arrived and had to turn back. The word was already in Middle High German (holzwec), soon also meaning a wrong turning, and the phrase is in print from 1495 and in Luther's own collection of proverbs.
Equivalents in other languages
English: bark up the wrong tree
Norwegian: Å være ute og sykle Literally: To be out cycling
Italian: Prendere lucciole per lanterne Literally: To mistake fireflies for lanterns
French: Se mettre le doigt dans l'œil Literally: To put one's finger in one's eye
More German idioms
- Die Kirche im Dorf lassen To keep things in proportion and not get carried away.
- Jetzt geht's um die Wurst Now it's crunch time — everything is at stake.
- Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof Life is not all fun and games; expect hardship.
- Die Katze im Sack kaufen To buy something sight unseen and get cheated.
- Eine Extrawurst verlangen To expect special treatment.
- Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen You can bet your life on it; it's absolutely certain.
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