bark up the wrong tree

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

Verb

 * 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.

Usage notes

 * Most commonly used in the present participial form: barking up the wrong tree.

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Czech: plakat na špatném hrobě
 * Danish: tage fejl, være på vildspor, gå galt i byen
 * Finnish: haukkua väärää puuta
 * French:, , , se tromper de cible
 * Georgian:
 * German:
 * Hebrew: טעה בכתובת, טיפס על העץ הלא נכון
 * Italian: prendere un granchio
 * Lithuanian: būti neteisiam
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål: ta feil, bli villedet
 * Polish: skupiać się na złej sprawie
 * Portuguese: bater à porta errada, bater na porta errada
 * Romanian:
 * Russian: напада́ть на ло́жный след, напа́сть на ло́жный след, не тем заниматься, не в ту степь поехать
 * Spanish: errar el tiro