Potemkin village

Potemkin village
a pretentiously showy or imposing façade intended to mask or divert attention from an embarrassing or shabby fact or condition.
[1935-40; after Prince POTËMKIN, who allegedly had villages of cardboard constructed for Catherine II's visit to the Ukraine and the Crimea in 1787]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Potemkin village — Potemkin villages were purportedly fake settlements erected at the direction of Russian minister Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin to fool Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea in 1787. According to this story, Potemkin, who led the… …   Wikipedia

  • Potemkin village — n. [after POTEMKIN Grigori Aleksandrovich, who it is said built fake villages to deceive Catherine the Great about his accomplishments] a false front or facade …   English World dictionary

  • Potemkin village — noun something that seems impressive but in fact lacks substance • Hypernyms: ↑fake, ↑sham, ↑postiche * * * pəˈtem(p)kə̇n noun Usage: usually capitalized P Etymology: after Grigori A. Potemkin died 1791 Russ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Potemkin village — noun Etymology: Grigori Potëmkin, who supposedly built impressive fake villages along a route Catherine the Great was to travel Date: 1937 an impressive facade or show designed to hide an undesirable fact or condition …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Potemkin village — noun Any false construct devised to disguise a shortcoming or improve appearances …   Wiktionary

  • Potemkin — can refer to:;People * Prince Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin, statesman and lover of Catherine the Great * Pavel Potemkin, a Russian diplomat and military leader, cousin of Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin * Pyotr Potemkin, a Russian diplomat and …   Wikipedia

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  • Potemkin, Grigory Aleksandrovich, Prince Tavrichesky, Imperial Prince — ▪ Russian statesman born Sept. 13 [Sept. 24, New Style], 1739, Chizovo, Russia died Oct. 5 [Oct. 16], 1791, near Iaşi [now in Romania]  Russian army officer and statesman, for two years Empress Catherine II s (Catherine II) lover and for 17 years …   Universalium

  • Potemkin (architecture) — Potemkin is a steel made architectural park by Casagrande Rintala for Kuramata village in Japan 2003. A steel made mix between a temple and machine. [ [http://www.arch.tku.edu.tw/teacher/marco/index.htm] Tamkang University: 卡馬可 Marco Casagrande… …   Wikipedia

  • Po|tem|kin Village — «poh TEHM kihn», a false facade intended to cover up a bad situation or activity: »The Party s myth of a bright future might seem to Russian poets like the biggest Potemkin Village of them all (New Yorker). ╂[< Prince Grigori Potemkin, 1739… …   Useful english dictionary

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