Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
Barking up the wrong tree
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Barking up the wrong tree" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourColorful & Traditional collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Barking up the wrong tree
To pursue a line of thought, course of action, or accusation that is completely mistaken or misguided.
History & Origin
This idiom originates from 19th-century American raccoon hunting, a popular sport that relied heavily on trained hunting dogs. Raccoons would often escape by climbing trees, and the hounds would track them to the base and bark to alert the hunter. However, if a clever raccoon secretly jumped across to an adjacent tree, the dog would stay behind, mistakenly barking up the empty tree.
Examples
If you are trying to get approval for the budget extension from Mark, you are barking up the wrong tree; Sarah handles all departmental finances now.
He thinks I stole his favorite jacket, but he is completely barking up the wrong tree because I wasn't even home this weekend.
Early researchers who blamed the disease entirely on dietary habits were barking up the wrong tree, as subsequent genetic analysis revealed a hereditary mutation.
The police spent weeks investigating the local business owner, only to realize they were barking up the wrong tree when the actual culprit confessed.
To suggest that economic growth can be achieved solely through tax cuts is to bark up the wrong tree; we must also invest heavily in education and public infrastructure.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. The project was delayed because the team was barking up the wrong tree to finish the coding faster.
B. You are barking up the wrong tree by accusing Liam of leaking the data; he didn't even have access to that secure server.
C. She was barking up the wrong tree during the marathon, which caused her to trip and hurt her knee.
D. I need to bark up the wrong tree if I want to get a promotion before the end of the fiscal year.