tilt at windmills

Meaning: To waste effort fighting against imaginary enemies or pursuing hopeless causes.

Example: “Fighting the city over one parking ticket feels like tilting at windmills.”

Equivalents in other languages

French: Se battre contre des moulins à vent Literally: To fight against windmills
Swedish: slåss mot väderkvarnar Literally: To fight against windmills
Russian: сражаться с ветряными мельницами (srazhat'sya s vetryanymi mel'nitsami) Literally: To fight with windmills

Origin: From Cervantes' Don Quixote, where the knight attacks windmills he mistakes for giants—a famous image of futile idealism meeting reality.

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