To occupy oneself with unimportant matters and neglect priorities during a crisis.
Origin: (The source of this phrase is the story that
Nero played the
fiddle (violin) while Rome Burned during the Great
Fire in AD 64).
duskins: "Just waiting for the time to be ideal!"
Zavah: "
That time is
never going to exist,why are you fiddling while Rome burns?"
duskins: . . . "oh f***." >_
