beat the air

beat the air

To keep doing something despite its apparent pointlessness or futility. There's no way he'll get his progressive agenda through—he's just beating the air.
See also: air, beat
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

beat the air

Also, beat the wind. Continue to make futile attempts, fight to no purpose. For example, The candidates for office were so much alike that we thought our vote amounted to beating the air . These phrases call up a vivid image of someone flailing away at nothing. [Late 1300s]
See also: air, beat
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • beat the wind
  • calculate on
  • calculate on (something)
  • good as (one's) word
  • good as one's word, as
  • of word
  • be a man/woman of his/her word
  • a beating
  • be whistling in the wind
  • a kick at the cat
References in classic literature
And there were large calm lakes there too, in which white swans were swimming, and beat the air with their wings.
Andersens Fairy Tales
As carrier- pigeons, on being first let loose in a strange place, beat the air at random for a short time before darting off towards the spot for which they are designed, so did the Marchioness flutter round and round until she believed herself in safety, and then bear swiftly down upon the port for which she was bound.
The Old Curiosity Shop
'Not a bit nearer, Jeremiah!' cried Affery, never ceasing to beat the air. 'Don't come a bit nearer to me, or I'll rouse the neighbourhood!
Little Dorrit
In the streets of London where beauty goes unregarded, eccentricity must pay the penalty, and it is better not to be very tall, to wear a long blue cloak, or to beat the air with your left hand.
The Voyage Out
Put Napoleon in an island prison, let his faculties find no men to act on, no Alps to climb, no stake to play for, and he would beat the air, and appear stupid.
Essays First Series
Their wings were a muted staccato as they beat the air, and a keen shearing whisper when they turned.
One more river run: brothers cherish a day on the water with paddles, pun'kins and ducks
Gently fold in the cooled butter and then the flour and salt, going as smoothly and quickly as possible, so as not to beat the air from the sponge.
Mont Blanc (makes 4); Stephen JACKSON Stephen is co-owner and chef at T&Cake Cafe, Almondbury
But I wouldn't have changed it for the world, because nothing could beat the air of anticipation, the sight of the players sidestepping onto the field in their crisp ironed white shorts.
Rhian Williams; Memories of a Scarlet woman
In Group B, Adam and the Higher Education teams shared the points after their goalless draw, while Ammroc beat the Air Forces 2-1.
AFOC Ramadan chess a family affair
Another problem with wind energy is drag, the resistance felt by the turbine blades as they beat the air. Scientists at the University of Minnesota have been looking at the drag-reduction effect of placing tiny grooves on turbine blades.
Making wind-turbines more efficient
It lets out a long 'kraaaaaak' as its enormous wings beat the air and soon it's out of sight.
Slender and still... poised for the kill; NATUREWATCH
DJ Chris Moyles, above, was due to beat the air chaos and return to the airwaves today by hosting his show from New York.
DJ Chris Moyles, above, was [...]; VOLCANO BRIEFS
"80 Million" (2009, 3'41"), a performance video spoof by Eslam Zeen El Abedeen and Mohamed Zayan, finds the two artists facing one another, each with a foot raised to rest on the seat of a straight-backed chair, while their hands furiously beat the air in time to the durbakeh-riq duet ringing out in the soundtrack.
Perched on the edge of video art and technology
As they flew over the causeway road, they honked and beat the air frantically as they struggled to gain altitude.
Accidents happen
Storming across the intersection, the man beat the air with his fists and shouted into the sky.
Street trees