Which of the following idioms given in the alternatives has the meaning?
To be wasting time fighting enemies or trying to resolve issues that are imaginary, unimportant, or impossible to overcome.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The phrase "tilting at windmills" comes from Miguel de Cervantes' famous novel Don Quixote. In the story, the main character, Don Quixote, imagines that large windmills are actually giants and attacks them with his lance (a "tilt" is a jousting charge).
Because the enemies he was fighting weren't real, the idiom is now used to describe:
Fighting imaginary or non-existent enemies
Wasting energy on a futile or impossible task
Attacking problems that are unimportant or purely in one's own mind