Tilting at windmills Tilting at windmills Tilting at windmills is an English idiom that means attacking imaginary enemies. The expression is derived from the 1605 novel "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes, and the word "tilt" in this context comes from jousting. The phrase is sometimes used to describe either confrontations where adversaries are incorrectly perceived, or courses of action that are based on misinterpreted or misapplied heroic, romantic, or idealistic justifications. It may also connote an importune, unfounded, and vain effort against adversaries real or imagined for a vain goal. The phrase comes from an episode in the Cervantes novel wherein protagonist
The Grump (fictional character) The Grump (fictional character) The Grump ( ‘a person who always gets upset’) is a fictional character created by the Finnish author Tuomas Kyrö for a causerie series. The Grump is a man who writes letters-to-the-editor for various newspapers, full of complaints about all things imaginable. He basically has the attitude that “everyone is entitled to my opinion.” "Mielensäpahoittaja" is a cranky old man of roughly 80 years of age, and he is from Häme, as his dialect is a variant of the Tavastian dialects. He lives in the countryside, termed "Sysi-Suomi", which is ironic portmaneau of various hyphenated Finlands