Modul 4: Idiom 03: Barking up the wrong tree

Barking up the wrong tree

Barking up the wrong tree. What does this mean?

When somebody is said to be ‘barking up the wrong tree,’ they are pursuing something, trying to get something, in a way that will lead to no success.

So, what is the origin of this idiom?

It dates back to America in the 1800s. Hunters would go out with packs of dogs and hunt for animals which could then be used as a form of payment or clothing. When their prey – what they were hunting – climbed up trees to avoid the dogs that were chasing them, the dogs remained at the base of the tree and barked up at that particular tree to alert the hunters – to call the hunters – to let them know where the prey was hiding.

The idiom refers to the clever animals that would then jump across branches into other trees to escape the hunters and their dogs. They would now be in a different tree, and the dogs would be left ‘barking up the wrong tree.’

Take a look at our illustration.

Where is the squirrel? Where is the dog?

The dog in this picture is barking up the wrong tree. We know it is the wrong tree because the squirrel, which the dog is trying to bark at, is in the other tree. Also, the dog is misguided – you know, given the wrong instruction – because the owner is pointing at the wrong tree.

The owner should be pointing to the other tree where the squirrel is, but the dog trusts the owner and therefore is “barking up the wrong tree”. By wrongly thinking that the owner would help him to catch the squirrel, you could say, “that dog is barking up the wrong tree if he thinks the owner will help him.”

Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions

I want some money to go to the cinema. but I know that if I ask my mum then I’d be barking up the wrong tree – she wouldn’t help me out -, so I’ll ask my dad for the money, instead.

I thought that if I flirted with my manager then I’d get a promotion but I was barking up the wrong tree! Apparently, it didn’t help.

Fred thought I stole his chocolate so he wants to fight me, but he is barking up the wrong tree! I didn’t steal anything.

I don’t know if this detour – this alternate route – is going to avoid the traffic jam. I think I’m barking up the wrong tree.  It is probably not the best idea. I’ll just go on the motorway instead.

You are barking up the wrong tree if you think that all this food will fit into that saucepan.

Great.

Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding:

1.
If I use a large mixing bowl to drain cooked spaghetti – make the water flow away -, am I barking up the wrong tree? Yes. you need to use a colander because a colander has small holes in it for the water to drain out whilst the spaghetti remains in the colander.

2.
My colleague asked me if she could have a day off of work. I told her that she needed to speak to our boss and not to me.

When was she barking up the wrong tree? When she asked me for the day off, or when she asked our boss for the day off? She was barking up the wrong tree when she asked me for the day off because I do not have the power to authorise that.

3.
When a student behaves well in school to avoid getting detention – when you have to stay behind after school – are they barking up the wrong tree? No. Good behaviour is the way to avoid any punishment.

4.
The other day, I upset my girlfriend by lying to her, so I made her a cup of coffee.

Was I barking up the wrong tree to think that making a coffee would make up for my lying to her – you know, correct my wrongdoing? Yes. I needed to apologise to her.

5.
Imagine if someone saw a thief robbing a jewellery store, and they then called the fire brigade to catch the thief. Would they be barking up the wrong tree?

Yes. They would be barking up the wrong tree because they shouldn’t be calling for a fire brigade to come; they should be calling for the police to catch the criminal.

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.