Fig.: to fight imaginary evils or enemies in the belief that they are real

He is the saint of lost causes: always tilting at windmills like Don Quixote

È l'avvocato delle cause perse: combatte sempre contro i mulini a vento come Don Chisciotte

The presence of gangs in our town is becoming a real issue and, unfortunately, the town's fight against these gangs is seen as tilting at windmills

La presenza di bande nella nostra cittadina sta diventando un vero problema e, purtroppo, la battaglia della città contro queste bande è considerata una battaglia contro i mulini a vento

They say that the famous lawyer may be tilting at White House windmills largely to increase his stature in anticipation of his campaign for the Senate next year

Si dice che il famoso avvocato stia combattendo contro i mulini a vento della Casa Bianca soprattutto per elevare la sua statura professionale in vista della prossima campagna elettorale per il Senato a cui intende candidarsi

This sentence comes from the novel “Don Quixote de la Mancha” by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547 - 1616). Don Quixote, the “knight of the rueful countenance”, on his travels through the countryside comes upon some windmills. Thinking they are evil giants which he, as a chivalrous knight, is bound to fight, attacks them, with the only result that both the knight and his horse are injured and his lance destroyed