Amazing Race Dec. 12 "Hi. I'm Sorry. I'm in a Race"

[Tinami Amori]

I'm also baffled by all the "tilting at windmills is a common expression" going on a twop. I have never heard anyone say that. I know enough about DQ to know he randomly wandered around windmills while drunk, but I had to ask DH if he could really parse the meaning of the expression he told me it's what you say when someone is doing something stupid and pointless. I'd just say they were doing something stupid and pointless. It might be an expression, but I wouldn't call it a common one.

As far as my experience conversing with various people, this is a very popular expression, easily attributed to DQ. We (my family and friends) use it or hear it several times a week when talking about politics, economy, culture in America, various tendencies in Europe, etc….

In Russian it’s “pointing a Lance against Windmills”. The phrase does not exactly mean “doing something pointless”. It has a two-fold meaning. “Fighting imaginary adversaries” and “Fighting a loosing battle in defense of your ideals”.

DQ leaves his home, imagines himself a Noble Knight, destined to fight evil and to preserve chivalry. When he sees windmills in the distance, he thinks the Evil Wizard turned many Evil Giants into windmills; and he attacks them to rid the world of Evil, and only gets hurt himself.

[Aceon6]

Thanks, Tinami. I think a lot of younger Americans get confused by the "tilting" part. They think of it as leaning or being off plane, while the actual expression comes from jousting. Think renaissance fair, not geometry.

[Dragonlady]

I've never read Don Quixote either but I knew the answer to the question immediately. And "tilting at windmills" is an expression I'm not only familiar with but have used on occasion, when it suited the context.

[Bev Johnston]

I took a Spanish class where we had to translate parts of Don Quixote. However, the Sancho Panza thing threw me. Go figure. However, I am happy to say that I did get the "Seven Year Itch" part of the clue.

[haribobo]

I finally just watched online. So happy for Kat and Nat! They are such nice people. Brooke and Claire too. Jill and Thomas were jerky at times but not that bad. There was something really endearing about Thomas in this episode- the way he ran flailing back to the cab in that random neighborhood saying "I don't know what I'm doing!" he was like a lost little boy. Then when he turned to Jill while they were in their cab ride from hell and just kissed her on the cheek, I thought that was really cute. I think in that moment he had kind of snapped back into reality to realize winning the race was not going to happen and that he still is fortunate for the things he does have. Maybe I read too much into it but I just thought it was nice.