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- To take little to no productive action during a crisis. The phrase refers to the legend of the Roman Emperor Nero playing the lyre as Rome burned down.
idioms.thefreedictionary.com › fiddle+while+Rome+burns
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What does fiddling while Rome burns mean?
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What's the origin of the phrase 'Fiddling while Rome burns'? The source of this phrase is the supposed story that Nero played the fiddle (violin) while Rome burned, during the great fire in AD 64. There are two major flaws with the story.
Nov 19, 2020 · The name Nero immediately conjures an image of a demented, olive-wreathed emperor demonically fiddling in the red glow of a burning Rome — a picture that has endured to modern times, providing...
- Diana Preston
Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn. Somewhere between that play, composed about 1590, and a play called The Tragedy of Nero, published in 1624, the lute had become a fiddle. In 1649 the playwright George Daniel committed this line to print: “Let Nero fiddle out Rome’s obsequies.”.
The idiom fiddle while Rome burns means to focus on trivial matters while ignoring serious, often disastrous, situations around you. It implies a lack of concern for pressing issues, suggesting that the person is either irresponsible, indifferent, or both.
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- HISTORY Vault: Colosseum
Nero had many enemies and is remembered as one of history’s most sadistic and cruelest leaders. But there are a couple of problems with the story.
In July of 64 A.D., a great fire ravaged Rome for six days, destroying 70 percent of the city and leaving half its population homeless. According to a well-known expression, Rome’s emperor at the time, the decadent and unpopular Nero, “fiddled while Rome burned.” The expression has a double meaning: Not only did Nero play music while his people suffered, but he was an ineffectual leader in a time of crisis.
It’s been pretty easy to cast blame on Nero, who had many enemies and is remembered as one of history’s most sadistic and cruelest leaders—but there are a couple of problems with this story.
Nero
For one thing, the fiddle didn’t exist in ancient Rome. Music historians believe the viol class of instruments (to which the fiddle belongs) was not developed until the 11th century. If Nero played anything, it would probably have been the cithara, a heavy wooden instrument with four to seven strings—but there is still no solid evidence that he played one during the Great Fire.
The Roman historian Tacitus wrote that Nero was rumored to have sung about the destruction of Rome while watching the city burn; however, he stated clearly that this was unconfirmed by eyewitness accounts.
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Jul 19, 2019 · On July 19, 64 AD, the Great Fire of Rome (Latin: Magnum Incendium Romae) occurred and continued burning until July 26 during the reign of emperor Nero.
to enjoy yourself or continue working as normal and not give any attention to something important and unpleasant that is happening that you should be taking action to prevent: Environmentalists claimed governments were fiddling while Rome burned. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Neglecting and ignoring.
