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)

(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

Hungarian: Patyomkin-falu
Japanese: ハリボテ
Russian: потёмкинские деревни (potjómkinskije derevni) (pot'ómkinskije d'er'évni) pl
Swedish: potemkinkuliss

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.