to fight (to tilt at) windmills

См. также в других словарях:

• 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 — 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 — fight a hopeless battle …   English contemporary dictionary

• fight windmills — To tilt at windmills (qv below) • • • Main Entry: ↑wind …   Useful english dictionary

• tilt — I n. attack (colloq.) (BE) 1) to have, make a tilt at inclination 2) a tilt to, towards misc. 3) at full tilt ( at full speed ) II v. 1) (D; intr.) to tilt to (to tilt to the right) 2) (misc.) to tilt at windmills ( to fight imaginary enemies ) * …   Combinatory dictionary

• tilt — I. /tɪlt / (say tilt) verb (t) 1. to cause to lean, incline, slope or slant. 2. to rush at or charge, as in a joust. 3. to hold poised for attack, as a lance. –verb (i) 4. to move into or assume a sloping position or direction. 5. to engage in a… …  

• tilt — tilt1 tiltable, adj. tilter, n. /tilt/, v.t. 1. to cause to lean, incline, slope, or slant. 2. to rush at or charge, as in a joust. 3. to hold poised for attack, as a lance. 4. to move (a camera) up or down on its vertical axis for photographing… …   Universalium

• windmill — [wind′mil΄] n. 1. a mill operated by the wind s rotation of large, oblique sails or vanes radiating from a shaft: used as a source of power for grinding grain, pumping water, generating electricity, etc. 2. anything like a windmill, as a… …   English World dictionary

• Don Quixote — For other uses, see Don Quixote (disambiguation). Don Quixote   …   Wikipedia

• windmill — n. 1 a mill worked by the action of the wind on its sails. 2 esp. Brit. a toy consisting of a stick with curved vanes attached that revolve in a wind. Phrases and idioms: throw one s cap (or bonnet) over the windmill act recklessly or… …   Useful english dictionary