Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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verb
To act in a bizarre, eccentric or immoral manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, idiomatic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: throw one's hat over the windmill
Antonyms: none provided
History
Probably a calque of French jeter son bonnet par-dessus les moulins . Widely reported as deriving from a passage in the novel Don Quixote in which the titular character throws his cap over a windmill that he has mistaken for a giant, as a challenge. However, no such passage exists in the book.
