tilt at windmills
English
[edit]
Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From a passage in the novel Don Quixote where the eponymous character tilts (i.e. jousts) at windmills that he has mistaken for giants.
Verb
[edit]tilt at windmills (third-person singular simple present tilts at windmills, present participle tilting at windmills, simple past and past participle tilted at windmills)
- (intransitive) To attack imaginary enemies.
- (intransitive, by extension) To go on a wild-goose chase; to persistently engage in a futile activity.
Synonyms
[edit]- (go on a wild-goose chase): chase a rainbow
Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]attack imaginary enemies
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