What is the source of the allusion in the sentence below?
The drought is worsening, and the state politicians are fiddling while Rome burns!
a poem history
An allusion is a brief mention of something or someone well known, often from mythology, history, or literature. An allusion lets you reference ideas from an entire story in just a few words.
"I'd better get home before I turn into a pumpkin!" Lila remarked.
Here, Lila alludes to the fairy tale "Cinderella," in which Cinderella must leave the ball before the coach that brought her transforms into a pumpkin. The allusion shows that Lila must depart immediately.
The source of the allusion fiddling while Rome burns is history.
According to some accounts, the Roman emperor Nero stood by and did nothing while Rome burned. He is said to have played the fiddle while the crisis unfolded.
The allusion fiddling while Rome burns means ignoring a critical situation.