roman holiday

noun

Usage: usually capitalized R

Etymology: so called from the bloody combats staged as entertainment in ancient Rome

1.

a. : an event or occasion resembling the games or gladiatorial combats of the ancient Roman circus (as for spectacle or savagery provided or demanded as a source of sadistic pleasure for onlookers)

b. : a time of enjoyment derived from the sufferings or losses of others or the source of such enjoyment

our own fliers seemed to be letting the Jerries have a Roman holiday at our expense — E.V.Westrate

diplomats who felt themselves merely victims to be sacrificed every four years to make a Roman holiday for a new president — Emily Bax

2. : a public dispute, investigation, or turmoil in which the participants inflict embarrassment, degradation, or ignominy on each other or themselves often at the direction or to the satisfaction of nonparticipants

persons charging police brutality have had a Roman holiday in making these charges but not following them up — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union

the investigation was accompanied by reams of publicity and millionaires were summoned by the score to make a Roman holiday — American Mercury