English-Dutch translations for bread and circuses

• brood en spelen
  De Romeinse keizers spraken indertijd over brood en spelen voor de allerarmsten. The Roman Emperors used to have a formula for appeasing their poorest citizens: bread and circuses.
  De Nederlandse vertegenwoordigers in de Unie voor Europa wensen geen brood en spelen, geen window dressing maar daden. The Dutch representatives in the European Union do not want bread and circuses or window-dressing but facts.
  Hier brood en spelen, en daar kan men ongestraft zomaar van alles zeggen. Ik vind dat niet juist. Bread and circuses on the one hand, and everyone on the other being able to do and say what they like is something I regard as inconsistent.

Definition of bread and circuses

• Food and entertainment provided by the state, particularly if intended to placate the people
• Grand spectacles stage#Verb|staged or statements made to distract and pacify people

Related words

• bread and butter
• bread and scrape
• bread and cheese
• bread and honey
• bread and milk
• bread and salt
• bread and water
• bread and wine
• never quarrel with your bread and butter