Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BREAD AND CIRCUSES

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connect today's word to others: Today we'll check out a phrase in both English, bread and circuses, and Latin, panem et circenses. The Latin panem in that phrase means "bread," which we also see in words like pantry (literally a bread room) and companion (literally a bread fellow--someone you eat with or spend time with) and even Panera (literally a bread basket). (Now I'm craving a bagel.) But often, when we see a word that starts with "pan," that doesn't mean "bread." What does it mean instead? What does it mean to say that an issue is panhuman, that we have a panoply of options, or that there is no panacea for what ails us? make your point with... "BREAD AND CIRCUSES" or "PANEM ET CIRCENSES" This phrase comes from the Roman poet Juvenal. His whole line went like this in Latin: "Duas tantum res anxius optat, panem et circenses," meaning, approximately, "They anxiously desire only two things, bread and circuses." Historians, please forgive me for oversimplifying this: the basic idea in ancient Rome was that if the government kept the people well-fed and well-entertained, they'd be peaceful and easy to control. You can use either the English term ("bread and circuses") or the original Latin ("panem et circenses"). Either way, "bread and circuses" means food and entertainment, but more generally, it means food, entertainment, or anything else that people are so pleased with or so busy with that it makes them fail to care about more important things in society. Pronunciation: For the English version, it's just like you'd expect: "BRED and SIR kuh ses." I recommend pronouncing the Latin version as "PAH nem et sir SEN sus," but people love to disagree about this--so why not stick with the English? :) Part of speech: Noun.  You can treat it like it's one singular thing ("Bread and circuses is all they need") or like it's plural or uncountable ("Bread and circuses are all they need"). Other forms: You can hyphenate it to make it an adjective: "they play a bread-and-circuses role," "it's just a bread-and-circuses distraction." How to use it: This term has a scholarly, harsh tone: when you use it, you're implying that people are so dumb, selfish, and/or immoral that all they care about is feeding and amusing themselves--or, that people or groups are so power-hungry that they'll manipulate the public to keep them under control. I recommend using the English version most of the time, but knowing the Latin one as well in case you need it for a very formal situation. Call something bread and circuses when it seems designed to keep large groups of people busy, happy, or distracted. What kinds of things might be called bread and circuses? Television shows and movies, Hollywood drama, professional sports, political spectacles, petty or overblown news stories, etc. Or, talk about people, television, Hollywood, athletes, the media, politicians, and governments who make, produce, offer, or provide bread and circuses...or talk about those of us who crave, expect, demand, consume, accept, enjoy, or subsist on bread and circuses. examples: Resisting the lure of bread and circuses gets harder as the news stories get more infuriating. We don't subscribe to a cable television service, but I can't pretend to dismiss TV as bread and circuses: we have Netflix. And we watch it. A lot. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "bread and circuses" means when you can explain it without saying "hoopla for the hoi polloi" or "pacifiers for the populace." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "A cynic sees _____ as (petty, ridiculous, overly dramatic, etc.), as bread and circuses to (distract us from something, or satisfy our hunger for something)." Example: "A cynic sees football as a war game, as bread and circuses to satisfy our hunger for competition and violence." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing with The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce. It's a collection of silly, sarcastic, satirical definitions of everyday words, and--lucky us!--it's in the public domain. In each issue this month, I'll give you one of Bierce's definitions and, if it's a tough one, I'll give you the word's first letter. And you try to come up with the word. From our previous issue: Bierce defines it as "one who drafts a plan of your house, and plans a draft of your money." It's a noun. It starts with A. What is it? Answer: Architect. Try this today: Bierce defines it as "a detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, Fate, Fortune, Luck or one’s neighbor. In the days of astrology it was customary to unload it upon a star." It's a noun. It starts with R. What is it? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of BREAD AND CIRCUSES is A. WINE AND BEER B. SERIOUS SOCIOLOGICAL ISSUES C. CONCERN FOR THE NEEDS OF THE ADVANTAGED 2. To argue that the Olympic Games are pure bread and circuses is to dismiss their _____. A. role in stimulating multiple economies as well as international comity B. impressive outpouring of fodder for talk shows C. inherent showiness and drama Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A