Question

Choose the correct meaning of idiom: Fiddle while Rome burns

• A. To play music at night
• B. To waste time in trivialities during a crisis
• C. To seek artistic approval
• D. To incite rebellion

Answer 1

Answer:

B. To waste time in trivialities during a crisis

• To waste time in trivialities during a crisis

• This idiom comes from the legend of the Roman Emperor Nero, who supposedly played his fiddle (or lyre) while the city of Rome was burning down.

• It is used to describe someone who ignores a major crisis or acts irresponsibly while everything is going wrong around them.