tilting at windmills

tilting at windmills
Meaning
Attacking imaginary enemies.
Origin
Like Don Quixotte.

Meaning and origin of phrases. 2013.

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  • Tilting at windmills — is an English idiom which means attacking imaginary enemies, or fighting otherwise unwinnable battles. The word “tilt,” here, comes from jousting. This idiomatic phrase originated in the novel Don Quixote , and is often used today in reference to …   Wikipedia

  • Tilting at windmills (disambiguation) — Tilting at windmills is an English idiom which means attacking imaginary enemies , originating from the novel Don Quixote . Tilting at windmills may also refer to:An album: * Tilting at Windmills (Consafos album), a 2005 album by Consafos *… …   Wikipedia

  • Tilting at Windmills (Consafos album) — Infobox Album Name = Tilting at Windmills Type = studio Artist = Consafos Released = April 19, 2005 Recorded = Genre = Length = Label = Greyday Productions Producer = Reviews = Last album = This album = Next album = Tilting at Windmills is the… …   Wikipedia

  • be tilting at windmills — phrase to be wasting time dealing with problems that do not really exist Thesaurus: to waste time, or to pass time doing unimportant thingssynonym Main entry: tilt …   Useful english dictionary

  • be tilting at windmills — to be wasting time dealing with problems that do not really exist …   English dictionary

  • tilt at windmills — phrasal Etymology: so called fr. the episode in Don Quijote de la Mancha in which Don Quixote battles with a windmill, thinking it a giant more at don quixote : to fight imaginary enemies or illusory evils even though this rebellion may be a… …   Useful english dictionary

  • tilt at windmills — {v. phr.}, {literary} To do battle with an imaginary foe (after Cervantes Don Quixote). * /John is a nice guy but when it comes to departmental meetings he wastes everybody s time by constantly tilting at windmills./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • tilt at windmills — {v. phr.}, {literary} To do battle with an imaginary foe (after Cervantes Don Quixote). * /John is a nice guy but when it comes to departmental meetings he wastes everybody s time by constantly tilting at windmills./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • tilt at windmills — ► tilt at windmills attack imaginary enemies. [ORIGIN: with allusion to the story of Don Quixote tilting at windmills, believing they were giants.] Main Entry: ↑tilt …   English terms dictionary

  • tilt\ at\ windmills — v. phr. literary To do battle with an imaginary foe (after Cervantes Don Quixote). John is a nice guy but when it comes to departmental meetings he wastes everybody s time by constantly tilting at windmills …   Словарь американских идиом

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