Potemkin village
noun
- a pretentiously showy or imposing façade intended to mask or divert attention from an embarrassing or shabby fact or condition.
Origin:
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
Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Potemkin%20village
No Comments