# cap over the windmill

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/cap-over-the-windmill
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

In a bizarre or eccentric manner.

## Examples

- He acts with his cap over the windmill sometimes.
- The artist threw his cap over the windmill and painted the entire living room neon green.
- Ignoring all social conventions, the eccentric inventor threw his cap over the windmill and began conducting his experiments in the middle of the public square.

## Origin

From the verbal phrase *throw one's cap over the windmill*. In the absence of dates or named personages in the record, the expression remains a literal image of a reckless gesture.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.