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→Historical usage: drop attestation that illustrates nothing: * 1836 – "You've been ''barking up the wrong tree,'' cried the Ohioan." |
Entranced98 (talk | contribs) Adding local short description: "English language expression for a mistaken emphasis", overriding Wikidata description "English language expression" |
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{{Short description|English language expression for a mistaken emphasis}}
{{Wiktionary|bark up the wrong tree}}
'''Barking up the wrong tree''' is an [[idiomatic|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 [[Treeing|chased a prey up a tree]], but the game may have escaped by leaping from one tree to another.<ref>Walsh, William Shepard. (1909). [https://archive.org/details/handybooklitera04walsgoog/page/n84 ''Handy-book of literary curiosities,'' p. 80.]</ref> The phrase means to mistake one's object, or to pursue the wrong course to obtain it.
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