tilt at windmills
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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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