"fiddle while Rome burns" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From the ancient rumour that the Roman emperor Nero played a lyre whilst the city of Rome was burning.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fiddles while Rome burns",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddling while Rome burns",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddled while Rome burned",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddled while Rome burned",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddled while Rome burnt",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddled while Rome burnt",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fiddle<> while Rome burns<burns,burns,burned:burnt>"
      },
      "expansion": "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)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Greek translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Macedonian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "id": "en-fiddle_while_Rome_burns-en-verb-fOwC8rjU",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) 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."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic"
        },
        {
          "word": "bury one's head in the sand"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "sit on one's hands"
        },
        {
          "word": "sit on one's thumbs"
        },
        {
          "word": "fiddle whilst Rome burns"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to ignore the major problem",
          "word": "haaskata aikaa kun olisi tärkeämpääkin tekemistä"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "edó o kósmos kaígetai kai to mouní chtenízetai",
          "sense": "to ignore the major problem",
          "tags": [
            "vulgar"
          ],
          "word": "εδώ ο κόσμος καίγεται και το μουνί χτενίζεται"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "note": "село гори, баба се чешла (selo gori, baba se češla, literally “the village is burning, granny is combing her hair”)",
          "sense": "to ignore the major problem"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to ignore the major problem",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "nie zajmować się problemem"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-fiddle while Rome burns.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/11/En-au-fiddle_while_Rome_burns.ogg/En-au-fiddle_while_Rome_burns.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/En-au-fiddle_while_Rome_burns.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fiddle while Rome burns"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From the ancient rumour that the Roman emperor Nero played a lyre whilst the city of Rome was burning.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fiddles while Rome burns",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddling while Rome burns",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddled while Rome burned",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddled while Rome burned",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddled while Rome burnt",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fiddled while Rome burnt",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fiddle<> while Rome burns<burns,burns,burned:burnt>"
      },
      "expansion": "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)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic"
    },
    {
      "word": "bury one's head in the sand"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms derived from toponyms",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with Greek translations",
        "Terms with Macedonian translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) 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."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-fiddle while Rome burns.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/11/En-au-fiddle_while_Rome_burns.ogg/En-au-fiddle_while_Rome_burns.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/En-au-fiddle_while_Rome_burns.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "sit on one's hands"
    },
    {
      "word": "sit on one's thumbs"
    },
    {
      "word": "fiddle whilst Rome burns"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to ignore the major problem",
      "word": "haaskata aikaa kun olisi tärkeämpääkin tekemistä"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "edó o kósmos kaígetai kai to mouní chtenízetai",
      "sense": "to ignore the major problem",
      "tags": [
        "vulgar"
      ],
      "word": "εδώ ο κόσμος καίγεται και το μουνί χτενίζεται"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "note": "село гори, баба се чешла (selo gori, baba se češla, literally “the village is burning, granny is combing her hair”)",
      "sense": "to ignore the major problem"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to ignore the major problem",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "nie zajmować się problemem"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fiddle while Rome burns"
}