To neglect helping when one's time is needed most; to ignore the major problem at hand (whilst doing something less important); to be idle, inactive, or uninterested in a time of great need.

Etymology:

  • From the ancient rumour that the Roman emperor Nero played a lyre whilst the city of Rome was burning.
34 Views

Submitted on July 07, 2010

Additional definitions for 'fiddle while Rome burns':

Fiddle While Rome BurnsTo do nothing or engage you in trivial things knowing that something urgent and critical is happening around
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the fiddle while Rome burns phrase in other languages:

violon pendant que Rome brûle

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to fiddle while Rome burns

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this fiddle while Rome burns phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this fiddle while Rome burns definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "fiddle while Rome burns." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/fiddle-while-rome-burns_12278>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    Cut them some ________ will you?
    A rope
    B slack
    C whey
    D time

    Browse Phrases.com