to bark up the wrong tree

/təˈbɑːrk ʌp ðə rɔŋ triː/ искать не там, неправильный след B2 high

Значения

  1. idiomto pursue a mistaken line of inquiry or effort; to look for something in the wrong place or blame the wrong person — искать в неправильном направлении, обвинять не того человека, идти по ложному следу

Устойчивые сочетания

bark up the wrong tree about somethingbark up the wrong tree with someoneyou're barking up the wrong tree

Примеры

  • If you think my sister took your phone, you're barking up the wrong tree — she was out all day.
  • The police spent weeks investigating the suspect, but they were barking up the wrong tree; the real thief was someone else.
  • Don't ask Tom for help with cooking — you're barking up the wrong tree. Ask Sarah instead; she's the chef in our family.

Синонимы

pursue a false leadlook in the wrong placebe on the wrong track

Антонимы

be on the right trackknow where to look

Частая ошибка

Часто путают с 'missing the point'. 'Bark up the wrong tree' = искать ответ в неправильном месте или обвинять не того человека. 'Miss the point' = неправильно понять смысл чего-то. Первая фраза подразумевает активный неправильный поиск, вторая — неправильное понимание.