<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Look up bark up the wrong tree in Wiktionary, the free dictionary . </Td> </Tr> <P> Barking up the wrong tree is an idiomatic expression in English, which is used to suggest a mistaken emphasis in a specific context . The phrase is an allusion to the mistake made by dogs when they believe they have chased a prey up a tree, but the game may have escaped by leaping from one tree to another . The phrase means to mistake one's object, or to pursue the wrong course to obtain it . </P> <P> In other words, "if you are barking up the wrong tree, it means that you have completely misunderstood something or are totally wrong ." </P> <P> Barking up the wrong tree became common use in nineteenth century America in reference to hunting raccoons with a hunting dog . When the nocturnal animal takes to a tree, the dog is supposed to remain at the base of the tree until its master arrives . However, in the dark, if the dog mistakes the tree where the raccoon has taken refuge, the hunter may lose it . The expression was commonly used by writers of western life and tales, appearing in works by James Hall, David Crockett, and Albert Pike . </P>

Barking up the wrong tree in a sentence
find me the text answering this question