BARK UP THE WRONG TREE
BARK UP THE WRONG TREE
Meaning- to direct your attention or efforts toward the wrong person or thing; to have the wrong idea about something.
Usage- I hope proving these idioms to all of you I’m not barking up the wrong tree.
Origin- During colonial times in America, raccoon hunting was a popular sport . Trained dogs would chase a raccoon up a tree and bark furiously at the base until the hunter came. Sometimes a raccoon could escape to the branches of another tree, leaving the dog barking up the wrong tree.