bark up the wrong tree

Definition

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.

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.

Example Sentences

• "The investigator spent days trying to prove the butler committed the murder, but it turns out he was barking up the wrong tree."
• "You're not the first man who has made such a mistake, and found he was barking up the wrong tree."
• "They all went into the house, and left me feeling a precious idiot. I had been barking up the wrong tree this time."