fiddling while Rome burns
- fiddling while Rome burns
- Meaning
Dithering about with unimportant things while important things get left unattended.
Origin
Supposedly done by Emperor Nero when Rome was being destroyed - there's no real evidence for this though.
Meaning and origin of phrases.
2013.
Look at other dictionaries:
fiddling while Rome burns — To say that someone is fiddling while Rome burns means that they are doing unimportant things while there are serious problems to be dealt with. His visit to the trade fair was fiddling while Rome burns according to the strikers … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
fiddle while rome burns — If people are fiddling while Rome burns, they are wasting their time on futile things while problems threaten to destroy them … The small dictionary of idiomes
fiddle while Rome burns — If people are fiddling while Rome burns, they are wasting their time on futile things while problems threaten to destroy them. (Dorking School Dictionary) … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
Fiddle while Rome burns — If people are fiddling while Rome burns, they are wasting their time on futile things while problems threaten to destroy them … Dictionary of English idioms
fiddle while Rome burns — to spend time enjoying yourself or doing things that are not important when you should be dealing with a serious problem. Environmentalists claim that the government is fiddling while Rome burns … New idioms dictionary
Grand incendie de Rome — Le grand incendie de Rome a frappé la ville de Rome sous le règne de l empereur Néron. L incendie éclata dans la nuit du 18 juillet 64 (ante diem XV Kalendas Augustas, anno DCCCXVII a.U.c.) dans la zone du Circus Maximus et sévit pendant six… … Wikipédia en Français
fiddle — [[t]fɪ̱d(ə)l[/t]] fiddles, fiddling, fiddled 1) VERB If you fiddle with an object, you keep moving it or touching it with your fingers. [V with n] Harriet fiddled with a pen on the desk. 2) VERB If you fiddle with something, you change it in… … English dictionary
George Dyson (composer) — Sir George Dyson (1883 ndash;1964) was a well known English musician and composer. His son is the physicist Freeman Dyson and his grandchildren are Freeman s children the science historian George Dyson and his sister Esther Dyson. He was born in… … Wikipedia
Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 — form a UK statutory instrument aimed to protect employees who have fixed term contracts. It is meant to implement EC Directive 99/70/EC on fixed term workers.LawThe principle of the Directive on which the Regulations are based is simple: a person … Wikipedia
Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 — The Part time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 is a UK labour law measure which requires that employers give people on part time contracts equal pay to people on full time contracts who do the same jobs. It… … Wikipedia