Bark up the wrong tree

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Meaning

Pursue a mistaken lead, blame the wrong person or use an approach that cannot produce the result being sought.

Origin

This American expression comes from tree-hunting with dogs, especially raccoon hunting. A dog that believed its quarry had climbed a particular tree would bark below it; if the animal had escaped through the branches or the dog had lost the trail, it was literally barking at the wrong tree. Merriam-Webster dates the idiom to 1826, and an 1833 sketch associated with Davy Crockett makes the hunting comparison explicit. These are early attestations, not evidence that Crockett or the sketch's author coined it.

Research Sources

  1. meaning and origin of 'to be barking up the wrong tree' Word Histories
  2. bark Online Etymology Dictionary
  3. bark up the wrong tree Merriam-Webster

Variants

  • Barking up the wrong tree
  • You're barking up the wrong tree

Usage Examples

  • If you think Lena approved the payment, you are barking up the wrong tree; she was on leave that week.
  • The investigators barked up the wrong tree until the server logs pointed to a failed update.
  • Complaining to the delivery driver will not change the subscription price, so you are barking up the wrong tree.

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