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. If you're trying to lose weight without changing your diet, you're beating the air. It looks like I'm beating the air trying to get a raise from my boss.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.