bark up the wrong tree
Meaning: to pursue a wrong course; to blame the wrong person.
Language: English
Literally: to bark up the wrong tree
Category: Animals
Origin: American, from the early 1800s, and specifically from hunting raccoons rather than game in general. Raccoon hunting is done at night with dogs that pursue the animal until it climbs, then hold position at the base and bark to bring the hunters to the spot. The system depends entirely on the dog being right, and raccoons are good at making it wrong — moving between touching branches, doubling back, or leaving a tree before the hunters arrive — so a dog baying with complete conviction at an empty tree was a familiar and faintly comic sight. That is the exact force of the idiom: not simply being mistaken, but pursuing the wrong target loudly and with total confidence. It appears in print by the 1830s and was popularized in the tall tales surrounding Davy Crockett.
Equivalents in other languages
- German: Auf dem Holzweg sein — literally: To be on the timber track
- Norwegian: Å være ute og sykle — literally: To be out cycling
- Italian: Prendere lucciole per lanterne — literally: To mistake fireflies for lanterns
More idioms — Animals
- get your ducks in a row — to organize yourself; to prepare systematically.
- in a pig's eye — absolutely not; never; expressing strong disagreement.
- like a fish out of water — uncomfortable or awkward in a situation; out of one's element.
- bury the hatchet — to make peace; to settle a dispute.
- a nose for something — a talent for finding or recognizing something; keen instinct.
- Il y a anguille sous roche — Something suspicious is quietly going on beneath the surface.
More English idioms
- have the wool pulled over your eyes — to be deceived or fooled.
- not worth your salt — incompetent; not deserving of wages or respect.
- stick your oar in — to interfere in someone else's affairs; to meddle.
- lower your guard — to relax defenses; to become vulnerable.
- bring home the bacon — to provide income; to succeed in earning money.
- come hell or high water — no matter what obstacles arise; with absolute determination.
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