bread and circuses
/ˌbred ənd ˈsɜːrkəsɪz/
superficial appeasement of the public
bread and circuses in a sentence
“Critics dismissed the tax rebate as bread and circuses.”
Origin of bread and circuses
From Juvenal's panem et circenses, describing Roman political strategy
Related Words
Carthaginian peace
a brutal peace that destroys the defeated party
Faustian bargain
a deal sacrificing integrity for power or success
crossing the Rubicon
taking an irreversible step
Pyrrhic
won at too great a cost to be worthwhile
Roman à clef
a novel with real people disguised as fictional characters
Rubicon
a point of no return