Potemkin village

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Purportedly named for 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

• Dutch: potemkindorp (nl) n
• German: Potemkinsches Dorf (de) n
• Hungarian: Patyomkin-falu (hu)

• Russian: потёмкинские деревни (ru) (potjómkinskije derevni) (pot'ómkinskije d'er'évni) pl
• Swedish: potemkinkuliss (sv)