Potemkin village

or Po·tem·kin Vil·lage

[ poh-tem-kin vil-ij, puh‐ ]

noun
  1. a pretentiously showy or imposing façade intended to mask or divert attention from an embarrassing or shabby fact or condition.

Origin of Potemkin village

1
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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