Potemkin village

English

Etymology

Named for purported fake settlements erected at the direction of Russian minister Grigori Alexsandrovich Potemkin to fool Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea in 1787.

Noun

Potemkin village (plural Potemkin villages)

1. (idiomatic) Any false construct devised to disguise a shortcoming or improve appearances.

Translations

any false construct devised to disguise a shortcoming or improve appearances

• Danish: potemkinkulisse c
• Dutch: potemkindorp n
• French: village Potemkine (fr) m
• German: Potemkinsches Dorf (de) n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: Patyomkin-falu
• Japanese: ハリボテ
• Russian: потёмкинские деревни (potjómkinskije derevni) (pot'ómkinskije d'er'évni) pl
• Swedish: potemkinkuliss