To be mistaken; be seeking in the wrong
direction. (As a dog barking at a tree,
supposing there is a racoon there when there is
none).
1. PARADOX.A_ PHOENIX.AZ SUNDAY_ 62-0128A
He said, "I believe they're barking up the
wrong tree." Now, anybody knows that a dog that
you hunt with at night, and he barks the wrong
tree, you're always fooled.
