roman

Related to roman: Roman numerals, Roman Polanski, Roman gods

Roman hands and Russian fingers

A pun of "roaming hands and rushing fingers," referring to a tendency to make sexual contact that which is unwanted or unsolicited. Usually said of a man. Honey, I'm just not comfortable with you dating yet. All the boys your age have Roman hands and Russian fingers. Everyone has known that the director of the company had Roman hands and Russian fingers, but someone finally brought charges against him for it recently.
See also: and, finger, hand, roman, Russian

Roman holiday

An entertaining event, affair, or activity that relies on the exploitation, suffering, or failure of others. A metaphor taken from Lord Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, which refers to the practice of having gladiators fight to the death for the amusement of spectators. I think tabloids exist and flourish as a means of providing people with miniature Roman holidays. Being able to see celebrities at their absolute worst gives us a perverse feeling of satisfaction. I'll never understand the allure of boxing, watching two people beat each other half to death like we're on some sort of Roman holiday.
See also: holiday, roman

when in Rome (do as the Romans do)

proverb One should do what is customary or typical in a particular place or setting, especially when one is a tourist. I know you don't normally get relish on your hot dog, but that's the thing here. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I don't love cotton candy, but we are at a carnival. When in Rome, right?
See also: Roman, Rome
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

when in Rome do as the Romans do

Follow local custom, as in Kate said they'd all be wearing shorts or blue jeans to the outdoor wedding, so when in Rome-we'll do the same . This advice allegedly was Saint Ambrose's answer to Saint Augustine when asked whether they should fast on Saturday as Romans did, or not, as in Milan. It appeared in English by about 1530 and remains so well known that it is often shortened, as in the example.
See also: Roman, Rome
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a Roman holiday

an occasion on which enjoyment or profit is derived from the suffering or discomfort of others.
This expression comes from the poet Byron's description of the dying gladiator in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage as having been ‘butchered to make a Roman holiday’.
See also: holiday, roman
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

when in Rome do as the Romans do

Follow the local customs. This old proverb supposedly comes from St. Ambrose’s answer to St. Monica and her son, St. Augustine, who asked whether they should fast on Saturday as the Romans do, or not, according to Milanese practice. Ambrose replied, “When I am here (in Milan) I do not fast Saturday, when I am in Rome, I fast on Saturday.” This Latin saying was translated into English by the fifteenth century or so and has been repeated ever since.
See also: Roman, Rome
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • Roman hands and Russian fingers
  • never give advice unless asked
  • play on words
  • a play on words
  • cold call
  • textually harass
  • textual harassment
  • should have stood in bed
  • should have stood in bed, I
  • I shoulda stood in bed
References in periodicals archive
His comical description of Roman toilet habits had the children in the group in hysterics.
ROMAN HOLIDAY; What did the Romans ever do for us? LIS LAMBERTSEN finds out
Roman told the newspaper that "he had felt pressured into meeting Shollmier twice--once before scoring applications and once after."
No Confidence
1, Roman can be seen walking down the hall of their home.
2-year-old defies the odds, learns to walk despite spine condition
com/embed/sRmQLJAwOYANorthern border of the Roman EmpireThe documentation surrounding the nomination comprises 2,300 pages, 98 monuments composed of 164 components along 1,000 kilometres of the Danube River, from Bad Galgging in Bavaria, all the way to Kallked on the Hungarian-Croatian border, ubica Pinikova noted.At its greatest extent during the 2nd century AD, the outer border of the Roman Empire included three continents.
The Danube Limes proposed for UNESCO heritage list
The 10 museums taking part in Hadrian's Cavalry are: Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum, Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths and Museum, Great North Museum: Hancock, Corbridge Roman Town and Museum, Chesters Roman Fort and Museum, Housesteads Roman Fort and Museum, Roman Vindolanda, Roman Army Museum, Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery and Senhouse Roman Museum.
The charge of the cavalry; Days out guide
Up to now most barbarians have had to settle for marveling at the Romans' achievements.
Release Your Inner Roman
Renowned classicist Mary Beard, a professor at Cambridge University, has spent much of the last 50 years studying the literature of the Romans and the thousands of books and papers written about them.
SPQR
Artist's |Roman grounds HDAS was established in 1956 to bring hands-on archaeology back home to Huddersfield and district and it has interests in Prehistoric, Roman, post Roman and Medieval archaeology and there is much information on our website at www.huddarch.org.uk For over 30 years the network of Roman roads to and from the fort at Slack have been explored and that work is reported in our 2008 book The Romans Came This Way.
Uncovering life with the Romans
Just visit www.visitlincoln.com/trails to pick up your route around Roman Lincoln.
Calling up the past; SUSAN HAMPSHIREgoes roamin' with the Romans in the city of Lincoln
The temple had an approximate height of 8.4 meters, 27.6 feet, and the archaeologists are working on drawing a reconstruction of the Roman temple.
Roman Temple Discovered By Archaeologists In England
They discovered the site was an important Roman village with the remains of buildings, pottery and coins found.
Long-lost Roman road tracked in hunt for key fort
Ranks of highly disciplined Roman legions bristling with javelins, spears and military tactics fought against Welsh tribes like the Demetae and Silures with their iron weapons, chariots and reputation for reckless bravery.
Find out more about Wales and its role in Roman era; They occupied Wales for around 400 years, yet much of their legacy has been lost or forgotten. But, reports Robin Turner, plans are being pushed to make the most of our little-known Roman history
This paper discusses the major trends in scholarship about political implications of Roman law, the contribution of Roman law to European culture, the connection between Roman law and ancient Roman society, and the traditional function of Roman law as a source of legal ideas.
The impact of Roman law in the ancient world
'Roman attitudes to the externae gentes of the North', AClass 4 (1961) 90-102.
List of publications
Graham Webster's article on the British under Roman rule is of interest largely because it deals with the first stirrings of post-colonial consciousness in Romano-British studies, even though the conceptual framework employed by Webster prevented him from taking his insights to their logical conclusion.
The Romans in Britain: David Mattingly revisits an article by Graham Webster, first published in History Today in 1980, offering a surprisingly sympathetic account of Roman imperialism