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.
TILT AT WINDMILLS
Meaning of TILT AT WINDMILLS in English
American idioms English vocabulary. Английский словарь американских идиом. 2012