Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Portuguese term or phrase:
ver o circo pegar fogo
English translation:
to fiddle while Rome burns
Added to glossary by
Marlene Curtis
Oct 28, 2013 13:09
10 yrs ago
12 viewers *
Portuguese term
ver o circo pegar fogo
Portuguese to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
idioms
does anybody have a good equivalent for that ????
" tem sempre alguém querendo ver o circo pegar fogo!!" this is about the "rat" in the coke embroglio ....
thank you
" tem sempre alguém querendo ver o circo pegar fogo!!" this is about the "rat" in the coke embroglio ....
thank you
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +3 | to fiddle while Rome burns |
Marlene Curtis
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| 4 +6 | watch all hell break loose |
Verginia Ophof
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| 4 | watch the world burn |
João Alejandro Souza Pimienta
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Change log
Nov 1, 2013 23:25: Marlene Curtis changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/109243">Bett's</a> old entry - "ver o circo pegar fogo"" to ""to fiddle while Rome burns ""
Proposed translations
+3
10 mins
Marlene Curtis
United States
United States
Native in Portuguese
&
English
United States
Marlene Curtis
Native in: Portuguese 
, English
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese to English
Related KudoZ points
:
70
Selected
to fiddle while Rome burns
http://en.pons.eu/translate/portuguese-english/circles
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Note added at 13 minutos (2013-10-28 13:22:53 GMT)
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Another reference.
http://yourenglishhomework.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.h...
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Note added at 14 minutos (2013-10-28 13:23:59 GMT)
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fique na sua - mind your own business
não é da sua conta - it´s not your business
mais atrapalha do que ajuda - do more harm than good
ver o circo pegar fogo - fiddling while Rome burns
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Note added at 4 horas (2013-10-28 18:04:23 GMT)
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A pessoa que gosta de "ver o circo pegar fogo" em geral provoca tais acontecimentos desastrosos se diverte com eles e não somente olha; foi essa exatamente a postura de Nero, que incendiou Roma e se divertiu com isso.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Verginia Ophof
9 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
11 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Daniela de Oliveira
2 hrs
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Grata!
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| neutral |
Muriel Vasconcellos
: It means being distracted by pleasurable pursuits instead of being on the job. There is no evidence or implication that Nero set Rome on fire for his own delectation. Please do check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Rome
4 hrs
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I know the history. He did not just watch it (watch the hell break loose) but he did it himself and probably enjoyed it, since he was crazy.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "thank you! "
+6
18 mins
Verginia Ophof
Belize
Belize
Native in English
Specializes in field
Belize
Near Native Proficiency in Source langua
Native in: English
Works in: Portuguese to English, Dutch to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
36
watch all hell break loose
watch the bottom drops out
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Gilmar Fernandes
1 hr
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thank you Gilmar !
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| agree |
Salvador Scofano and Gry Midttun
: Very good.
1 hr
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Thank you Salvador and Gry !
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| agree |
Elda Veiga
1 hr
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Thank you Elda !
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| agree |
T o b i a s
: ***** watch all hell break loose
2 hrs
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Thank you Tobias !
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| agree |
Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
2 hrs
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Thank you Luciano !
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| agree |
Muriel Vasconcellos
3 hrs
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Thank you Muriel !
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2 days 2 hrs
João Alejandro Souza Pimienta
Brazil
Brazil
Native in Portuguese
Works in field
Brazil
Translations done as fast as possible!
Native in: Portuguese
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese to English
watch the world burn
Watch hell break loose é uma opção, mas esta também o é. Assim como na frase "some men just want to watch the world burn".
Discussion
Ver o circo pegar fogo
Ou como Nero continua influenciando o imaginário popular......Da sacada de seu palácio imperial, Nero aparece extasiado com a cena dantesca......Além desse pavoroso episódio histórico, a expressão "ver o circo pegar fogo" traz também a lembrança da expressão "alegria do palhaço é ver o circo pegar fogo".