4 ms·

just FYI, the idiom "tilting at windmills" implies an imaginary opponent. TSA is very much real, unfortunately.

• m_for_monkey 15y ago
  "Tilting at windmills is an English idiom which means attacking imaginary enemies, or fighting unwinnable or futile battles." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilting_at_windmills https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilting_at_windmills
  • mahmud 15y ago
    isn't it from Don Quixote?
    • m_for_monkey 15y ago
      Yes, it is.
  • dschobel 15y ago
    That's a poor definition which you won't find repeated in any other reference (really, take a look). The entirety of the meaning of the idiom concerns the misperception of ones opponents.
    • wpietri 15y ago
      That's incorrect. A number of other sources say that it also means exactly what I mean: "to pursue an unrealistic, impractical, or impossible goal". E.g.: http://www.word-detective.com/2009/03/10/tilting-at-windmills/ http://www.word-detective.com/2009/03/10/tilting-at-windmill... A quick peek at Google News also shows plenty of people using it that way: E.g.: http://articles.mcall.com/2012-03-08/news/mc-pat-toomey-jobs-bill-20120308_1_jobs-bill-small-companies-shareholders http://articles.mcall.com/2012-03-08/news/mc-pat-toomey-jobs... http://jurist.org/forum/2012/02/brian-landsberg-affirmative-action.php http://jurist.org/forum/2012/02/brian-landsberg-affirmative-... http://www.idahoreporter.com/2012/barbieri-wont-run-anti-tsa-pat-down-bill-this-year/ http://www.idahoreporter.com/2012/barbieri-wont-run-anti-tsa...