Roman holiday

American  

noun

1. a public spectacle or controversy marked by barbarism, vindictiveness, or scandal.

2. pleasure or advantage gained from the discomfort or suffering of others.

---

Roman holiday British  

noun

1. entertainment or pleasure that depends on the suffering of others

---

Etymology

Origin of Roman holiday

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

In the past, Italy away was something of a Roman holiday for England in the Six Nations.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

The proportion of crisp-soft rice to stretchy cheese is ideal, and, like the puntarelle, a Roman holiday.

From Washington Post • Feb. 3, 2023

Kim Kardashian is making a number of sartorial statements during her Roman holiday.

From Fox News • Jul. 1, 2021

That view has not changed — but in empty Rome, still reeling from a year’s cultural deprivation, I felt myself oddly moved by this catastrophic imposture, and the hopelessness of Hirst’s Roman holiday.

From New York Times • Jun. 25, 2021

The consequence was, that not only on Friday afternoons but whenever anybody came to visit the school, I was butchered to make a Roman holiday.

From Back Home by Wood, Eugene