to bark up the wrong tree
Preserved but no longer current.
To waste energy, to be on the wrong scent The phrase comes from raccoon hunting. This sport always takes place in the dark, with dogs which are supposed to mark the tree where the raccoon has taken refuge, and bark until the hunter arrives. But even dogs can mistake the tree in the dark, and often bark up the wrong one.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to bark up the wrong tree” mean?
To waste energy, to be on the wrong scent The phrase comes from raccoon hunting. This sport always takes place in the dark, with dogs which are supposed to mark the tree where the raccoon has taken refuge, and bark until the hunter arrives. But even dogs can mistake the tree in the dark, and often bark up the wrong one.
Is “to bark up the wrong tree” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.