Choose the correct meaning of the underlined idiom in the sentence:
The Swedish scientists realized that they had been barking up the wrong tree.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Following the wrong course of action.
The idiom comes from hunting dogs that bark at the foot of a tree after their prey has escaped up another. To bark up the wrong tree is to follow a mistaken line of thought or action, to look for something in the wrong place. The scientists realised that their whole approach had been mistaken.
Example: If you think I took your book, you are barking up the wrong tree.
| Also asked in CUET (UG): bark up the wrong tree – 31-05-2026 Slot 1 |