Where did the phrase barking up the wrong tree come from?
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Where did the phrase barking up the wrong tree come from?
Barking up the wrong tree became common use in nineteenth century America in reference to hunting raccoons with a hunting dog. When the nocturnal animal takes to a tree, the dog is supposed to remain at the base of the tree until its owner arrives.
Who first said barking up the wrong tree?
The dogs consequently were left barking up the wrong tree. One of the earliest instances of the phrase confirms this origin. It is from Sketches and Eccentricities of Col. David Crockett, of West Tennessee (1833), attributed to the American lawyer and author James Strange French (1807-86).
What does the idiom meaning barking up the wrong tree?
Waste one’s efforts by pursuing the wrong thing or path, as in If you think I can come up with more money, you’re barking up the wrong tree. This term comes from the nocturnal pursuit of raccoon-hunting with the aid of dogs.
Where did the phrase down to the wire come from?
To the last minute; to the very end. For example, We’re just about down to the wire with this project. This term comes from horseracing, where it was long the practice to stretch a wire across and above the track at the finish line. It was extended to figurative use about 1900.
What type of clause is barking up the wrong tree?
Compound-Complex Sentences with “bark up the wrong tree” A compound-complex sentence with “bark up the wrong tree” contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
How do you use barking in the wrong tree in a sentence?
He must face the fact that he is barking up the wrong tree. If you think that we do want another war, you are barking up the wrong tree. I am not certain that we are not all barking up the wrong tree about this.
Where did the term cut the mustard come from?
WHEN MUSTARD was one of the main crops in East Anglia, it was cut by hand with scythes, in the same way as corn. The crop could grow up to six feet high and this was very arduous work, requiring extremely sharp tools. When blunt they “would not cut the mustard”.
Where does kick the bucket originate?
An archaic use of bucket was a beam from which a pig is hung by its feet prior to being slaughtered, and to kick the bucket originally signified the pig’s death throes.
Why were the dogs barking which type of sentence?
The example of an independent clause above, “The dog barked,” is a simple sentence. Simple sentences can also be longer than this; as long as a sentence consists of only an independent clause, it is a simple sentence.
How do you use best of both worlds in a sentence?
: all the advantages of two different situations and none of the disadvantages I have the best of both worlds—a wonderful family and a great job.
Why do they say scott free?
IN MACBETH you may recall the line “We have Scotched the snake, not killed it” – which means that the snake is scratched, or injured. So the original expression “Scotch Free” meant uninjured or even unmarked; it very quickly became Scot-Free because of colloquial speech.
What does get down to brass tacks mean?
Definition of get down to brass tacks : to start to discuss or consider the most important details or facts about something We finally got down to brass tacks and decided to work out a schedule for the project.
