Tilting at Windmills Comes From Jousting
To tilt is to lean at an angle. It also means to charge with a lance.
To tilt is to move into a sloping position, and historically to charge on horseback with a lance. The two senses meet in the joust: the *tilt* was the barrier separating the riders, and to *tilt at* someone meant to charge them across it. *Tilting at windmills*, meaning to attack imaginary enemies, comes from Don Quixote, who mistook windmills for giants and charged them. *At full tilt* keeps the sense of a charging horse, and *tilt* is Old English *tealt*, unsteady.
- To lean. *Tilting the table.*
- To joust. *Tilting at an opponent.*
- At full tilt. *Running at full tilt.*
- Tilting at windmills. *Tilting at windmills.*
- Old English — *tealt*, unsteady. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | tilt | Tilting. |
| Noun | tilt | A tilt. |
| Past | tilted | Tilted. |
| Phrase | at full tilt | At full tilt. |
| Old English | tealt | Unsteady. |
- The picture tilted.Angle.
- Knights tilted in the lists.Jousting.
- Tilting at windmills.Idiom.
Jousting words in English
- Tilt — the barrier, and the charge across it
- At full tilt — at the speed of a charging horse
- Enter the lists — take up a challenge, from the jousting enclosure
- Break a lance — argue a case on someone's behalf
- Unhorse — to defeat decisively
Old English *tealt*, unsteady; the jousting sense developed in the 1500s.
Where does tilting at windmills come from?
From Don Quixote, who mistook windmills for giants and charged them with his lance.
What was the tilt in jousting?
The barrier separating the two riders, which kept them from colliding as they charged.