English Explanatory Dictionary

bark up the wrong tree

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To take the wrong approach to a situation; to follow a false lead; to attempt to solve a problem using mistaken assumptions about its true nature.

Pronunciation

en-au-bark up the wrong tree.ogg

Word forms

bark up the wrong tree barks up the wrong tree barking up the wrong tree barked up the wrong tree

Etymology

An allusion to a situation in which a hunting dog misidentifies the tree up when it has chased an animal and positions itself at the base of another tree, barking upward at the branches.

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