"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": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "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": "while Rome burns"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "sit on one's hands"
        },
        {
          "word": "sit on one's thumbs"
        },
        {
          "word": "fiddle whilst Rome burns"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "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"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "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",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "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": "while Rome burns"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms derived from toponyms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "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",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "sit on one's hands"
    },
    {
      "word": "sit on one's thumbs"
    },
    {
      "word": "fiddle whilst Rome burns"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "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"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fiddle while Rome burns"
}