As a language expert with a deep understanding of idioms and their origins, I can provide you with a detailed explanation of the idiom "barking up the wrong tree."

The idiom "barking up the wrong tree" is used to describe a situation where someone is pursuing a mistaken or misguided course of action, or where they are directing their efforts or attention towards the wrong target or issue. It originates from hunting, where dogs are used to track and corner game. If a dog barks at the base of a tree where it mistakenly believes the game is hiding, it is said to be "barking up the wrong tree" because the game is not actually there.

Here's the idiom with the key phrase in red: barking up the wrong tree.

read more >>

Barking up the wrong tree is an idiomatic expression in English, which is used to suggest a mistaken emphasis in a specific context. The phrase is an allusion to the mistake made by dogs when they believe they have chased a prey up a tree, but the game may have escaped by leaping from one tree to another.read more >>