Potemkin village
Potemkin village · Potemkin villages
потёмкинская деревня
Potemkinsches Dorf
Any false construct devised to disguise a shortcoming or improve appearancesAny false construct devised to disguise a shortcoming or improve appearances.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)Any false construct devised to disguise a shortcoming or improve appearances.
Potemkinsches Dorf
потёмкинская дере́вняpotjómkinskaja derévnja
More definitions
- something that seems impressive but in fact lacks substance
Translations
6 languagesРусский
By meaning 1
any false construct devised to disguise a shortcoming or improve appearances:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
any false construct devised to disguise a shortcoming or improve appearances:
Origin
Calque of Russian потёмкинская деревня (potjómkinskaja derévnja), named for purported fakeCalque of Russian потёмкинская деревня (potjómkinskaja derévnja), named for purported fake settlements erected at the direction of Russian minister Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin to fool Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea in 1787.
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Forms
plural: Potemkin villages| Singular | Potemkin village |
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| Plural | Potemkin villages |
regular