fiddle while Rome burns

Cultural  

1. To do something trivial and irresponsible in the midst of an emergency; legend has it that while a fire destroyed the city of Rome, the emperor Nero played his violin, thus revealing his total lack of concern for his people and his empire.

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fiddle while Rome burns Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

Because sometimes it's nice not to have to fiddle while Rome burns.

From Washington Post • Feb. 11, 2021

They are both children playing the veritable fiddle while Rome burns, able to throw tantrums disguised as intellectualisms while the adults attempt to put the fires out.

From US News • Sep. 1, 2015

All the zoological Neros should not fiddle while Rome burns.

From Our Vanishing Wild Life Its Extermination and Preservation by Hornaday, William Temple