/ · 1894 Brewer’s · N · Nero
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Emperor of Rome. Some say he set fire to Rome to see “how Troy would look when it was in flames;” others say he forbade the flames to be put out, and went to a high tower, where he sang verses to his lute “Upon the Burning of Old Troy.”
A Nero. Any bloody-minded man, relentless tyrant, or evil-doer of extra-ordinary savagery.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.
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