fiddle while Rome burns
fiddle while Rome burns verb: 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.
Verb
fiddle while Rome burns (third-person singular simple present fiddles while Rome burns, present participle fiddling while Rome burns, simple past and past participle fiddled while Rome burned or fiddled while Rome burnt)
- 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.
- Synonyms:
- sit on one's hands, sit on one's thumbs
fiddle while Rome burns meaning in Bengali
fiddle while Rome burns in Bengali
- চরম প্রয়োজনের সময়ে অলস, নিষ্ক্রিয়, অনাগ্রহী থাকা
Synonyms of fiddle while Rome burns
- sit on one's hands
- sit on one's thumbs
Forms of fiddle while Rome burns
| third-person singular present | fiddles while Rome burns |
|---|---|
| present participle | fiddling while Rome burns |
| past participle | fiddled while Rome burned |
| past | fiddled while Rome burned |
| past participle | fiddled while Rome burnt |
| past | fiddled while Rome burnt |
| alternative form | fiddle whilst Rome burns |
Origin of fiddle while Rome burns
From the ancient rumour that the Roman emperor Nero played a lyre during the Great Fire of Rome (AD 64).
Questions about fiddle while Rome burns
- What does fiddle while Rome burns mean?
- Fiddle while Rome burns means 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.
- What is fiddle while Rome burns in Bengali?
- Fiddle while Rome burns in Bengali is চরম প্রয়োজনের সময়ে অলস, নিষ্ক্রিয়, অনাগ্রহী থাকা. See Fiddle while Rome burns meaning in Bengali.
- What part of speech is fiddle while Rome burns?
- Fiddle while Rome burns is a verb.
- What is the past tense of fiddle while Rome burns?
- The past tense of fiddle while Rome burns is fiddled while Rome burned.
Words near fiddle while Rome burns in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: fiddle while Rome burns (page history and authors); fiddle while Rome burns (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-fiddle while Rome burns.ogg.
Cite this entry: “fiddle while Rome burns.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/fiddle_while_rome_burns. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.