Potemkin village
PRONUNCIATION:
(po-TEM-kin VIL-ij) 
MEANING:
noun: An impressive showy facade designed to mask undesirable facts.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Prince Grigory Potemkin, who erected cardboard villages to fool Empress Catherine II during her visit to Ukraine and Crimea in 1787. Earliest documented use: 1904.
USAGE:
"In Berlin, Lindbergh's wife, Anne, was blinded by the glittering façade of a Potemkin village."
Susan Dunn; The Debate Behind U.S. Intervention in World War II; The Atlantic (Boston); Jul 8, 2013.
Susan Dunn; The Debate Behind U.S. Intervention in World War II; The Atlantic (Boston); Jul 8, 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment