Getting To Grips With Southern Hospitality – The True Meaning Of Southern Phrases

Barking Up The Wrong Tree

This is a phrase that most people in the English-speaking world are familiar with. But how many people know that the South is to thank for its creation? While we are unsure of this phrase’s origin, we can only presume that someone with a dog observed their pooch barking up the tree that did not contain an animal of interest and thought that many humans behaved in a similar fashion quite often. When a person is pursuing a fruitless venture, or has chosen an inappropriate topic to debate, they will be “barking up the wrong tree”.

Barking Up The Wrong Tree