beat at

beat at something

to strike out at something. He beat at his attacker to no avail. Lily beat at the snake, but didn't harm it.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Bazyli	bah-ZI-lee	Polish (Rare)
Tybalt	-	Literature
Josiah	[dʒəu'saiə]
Derdriu	-	Irish Mythology
Ruqayyah	-	Arabic
Ellsworth	['elzwə:θ]