bread and circuses love

bread and circuses

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun plural Offerings, such as benefits or entertainments, intended to placate discontent or distract attention from a policy or situation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Food and entertainment provided by the state.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Translation of Latin pānem et circēnsēs, a phrase coined by the Roman poet Juvenal : pānem, accusative singular of pānis, bread + et, and + circēnsēs, circus games.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

1914 translation of the Roman poet Juvenal's Latin remark panem et circenses ("bread and circuses"). ("Duas tantum res anxius optat, Panem et circenses" )

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