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.