“My biscuit is missing. Did you eat it?”
“No I didn’t. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”
In early 1800’s America, fox hunting with a pack of dogs was a popular past time. The dogs would chase the prey and corner it or force it up a tree where it would get stuck. Then the hunters could come along and well… finish the job. Oftentimes, though, the dogs would get tricked by a wily fox, and head in the wrong direction, or even start following the wrong prey. Distracted dogs would start barking, and signifying to the hunter that they’ve trapped the fox, only for the hunter to arrive and find the dogs barking at a raccoon in a tree instead of a fox, or even a tree that was empty all together. Disappointed, the hunter would say the dog was barking up the wrong tree.
Over time, the saying became commonplace way of saying that a person has made a wrong choice, was asking the wrong person about their problem, or going the wrong direction.
Have you ever heard this saying before? Used it yourself? Could you see yourself using it now? Let me know in a comment!
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