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Bark up the wrong tree

verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To take the wrong approach to a situation; to follow a false lead; to attempt to solve a problem using mistaken assumptions about its true nature. idiomatic

    "The investigator spent days trying to prove the butler committed the murder, but it turns out he was barking up the wrong tree."

Etymology

An allusion to a situation in which a hunting dog misidentifies the tree up when it has chased an animal and positions itself at the base of another tree, barking upward at the branches.

See also for "bark up the wrong tree"

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