| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| bread and circuses |
| |
| PLURAL NOUN: | Offerings, such as benefits or entertainments, intended to placate discontent or distract attention from a policy or situation. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Translation of Latin p nem et circ nss, a phrase coined by the Roman poet Juvenal : pnem, accusative singular of pnis, bread + et, and + circnss, circus games.
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
