英语俚语天天说 第33期:攻击错了对象 bark up the wrong tree

 　　释义：

　　Bark: If you bark at someone, you shout at them aggressively in a loud, rough voice. 咆哮,本来的意思是狗叫；The wrong tree：错误的那棵树；

　　字面来看，bark up the wrong tree意思是对着错误的树咆哮； in English, it means: To make a wrong assumption¹ about someone or something. 意思就是说：对某事或者某人做出了错误的假定，也就是攻击错了目标；

　　If a person is being falsely accused of something, they might use this phrase to inform the accuser that they are mistaken. 如果有人被错误地指责，那么他们就可以用这个词组去告诉对方，让对方了解到自己攻击错了对象；

　　来源：

　　The origin of this phrase is believed to be rooted in dogs and hunting. Dogs are sometimes used during hunting because of their strong sense of smell, their ability to chase² and track other animals.

　　传说这个slang³与打猎和猎狗有关；狗因为嗅觉的灵敏和身手的敏捷而被用来追踪猎物。

　　After spotting another animal, a dog will likely give chase. The fleeing animal, may decide to climb a tree in order to get away.

　　狗在看到猎物时，就很有可能去追。逃跑的猎物就会上树，于是狗就会在树下叫。但有时候狗会犯错误，就是没有找到猎物藏身的那棵树，那么这个时候够就是bark up the wrong tree了。

　　举例：

　　1.王小二因为世界杯赌球欠了一屁股债，于是又跑去向他的老爸借钱，老爸很生气，于是说：

　　If you wanna borrow money from me, you bark up the wrong tree.

　　要想找我借钱，你找错了对象。

　　2.又比如说王小二去了一趟动物园后，钱包不见了，于是怀疑是那只来猴子偷走了，但事实并不是这样，那么我们就可以说：

　　I know you think the monkey in the zoo took your wallet, but you are barking up the wrong tree.

　　我知道你认为是动物园的猴子拿走了你的钱包，但是你搞错了。

1 assumption   

n.假定，臆断，担任，承担

参考例句：

• We mistook assumption that the price would fall.我们错误地认为价格会下降。
• I would question the validity of that assumption.我会质疑那个假设的正当性。

2 chase   

vt.追逐，追赶，追求；n.追赶

参考例句：

• The police grabbed the robbers after a long chase.警察经过长距离追赶后逮住了抢劫犯。
• Would you chase me if I did?如果我逃开了，你会来追吗？

3 slang   

n.俚语，行话；vt.使用俚语，辱骂；vi.辱骂

参考例句：

• The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
• Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。