tilt at windmills
English
Alternative forms
- fight windmills
Etymology
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
- (intransitive) To attack imaginary enemies.
- (intransitive, by extension) To go on a wild-goose chase; to persistently engage in a futile activity.
Synonyms
- (go on a wild-goose chase): chase a rainbow
Related terms
- throw one's cap over the windmill
- mistake windmills for giants
Translations
attack imaginary enemies
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