tilt at windmills

tilt at windmills
literary to waste time trying to deal with enemies or problems that do not exist.

We're not tilting at windmills here. If we don't do something about these problems, our environment may be in serious danger.


New idioms dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

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  • 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 — A person who tilts at windmills, tries to do things that will never work in practice …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • 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 — attack imaginary enemies. [with allusion to the story of Don Quixote tilting at windmills, believing they were giants.] → tilt …   English new terms dictionary

  • tilt at windmills — verb a) To attack imaginary enemies. b) To go on a wild goose chase; to persistently engage in a futile activity See Also: throw ones cap over the windmill, mistake windmills for giants …   Wiktionary

  • 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

  • tilt at windmills —    A person who tilts at windmills, tries to do things that will never work in practice.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • Tilt at windmills —   A person who tilts at windmills, tries to do things that will never work in practice …   Dictionary of English idioms

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