1
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Phrase(s): fiddle while Rome burns
Fig. to do nothing or something trivial while knowing that something disastrous is happening. (From a legend that the Roman emperor Nero played the lyre while Rome was burning.) • The lobbyists don’t seem to be doing anything to stop this tax bill. They’re fiddling while Rome burns.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Occupy oneself with unimportant matters and neglect important ones during a crisis. For example, The account was falling through, but he was more worried about missing his golf game? talk about fiddling while Rome burns! This expression alludes to the legend that the Emperor Nero played his fiddle while watching the conflagration of Rome. [Mid-1600s]
American Heritage Idioms