Potemkin

noun
1. a battleship who's crew mutinied when the tsarist Russia fell
2. a movie made during soviet Russia depicting the mutiny on the battleship Potemkin

adjective
1. a false display of power
2. a pseudo display of control

putting up a potemkin

by Avraria-Baelgun March 30, 2010

potemkin

Fake, not real, a sham.

Comes from a legend of Governor Potemkin of Crimea who supposedly created sham villages (Potemkin Villages) to impress his queen from a distance, but this story has been overal refuted by historians.

"This is just a Potemkin Senate, the voting was fraudulent!"

by Bijhan June 24, 2006

Potemkin Tent

When your jeans groin fold creates a tent that's bigger than your actual penis.

Look at that guy's cock! That's a Potemkin tent.

by yayeetus March 26, 2019

potemkin bookshelf

Potemkin bookshelf: someone's bookshelf filled with books they've never read.

Books put on display only for the sake of display or some sort of vicarious status seeking.

Did you see that fake intellectuals bookshelf? He doesn't even have an idea of what's in those books on his shelf.

Did you see that fake intellectuals bookshelf? He doesn't even have an idea of what's in those books on his potemkin bookshelf.

Derived from Potemkin village: a village that is just a facade. Just for show. Enter any door and it turns out to be hollow. Totalitarians and dictator types tend to build these in order to impress their oppressed masses or convince the outside that they are a salubrious nation when they are not.

by Shawlatan July 7, 2022

Heavenly Potemkin Buster

Potemkin's Overdrive Special in Guilty Gear Strive. He fucked your dad.

Joseph: Potemkin used his Heavenly Potemkin Buster to fuck my Dad.
Ethan: He fucked me.
Joseph: Bro what the fuck?

by Jebathaiusathan October 17, 2021