# Perfettino



## ollylove

Hello everybody!

Is there someone who can translate the word "perfettino", in ironic sense - like:
- Oh ma come sei _perfettino_!
- Dai, non fare il _perfettino_, anche se hai un capello fuori posto sei comunque bello!

Thank you!
Cheers


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## Paulfromitaly

Tu come lo tradurresti?


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## ollylove

I would translate like that:

- How fussy you are!
- C'mon, don't be finicky, even if you have unkempt hairs, you are still good-looking!

But I'm not sure at all! Any help or suggestion or correction is appreciate!


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## AlabamaBoy

I think you could also say "perfectionist."


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## sorry66

Maybe 'What a perfectionist you are!'

Edit: Cross with Alabama.


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## MR1492

ollylove said:


> I would translate like that:
> 
> - How fussy you are!
> - C'mon, don't be finicky, even if you have unkempt hairs, you are still good-looking!
> 
> But I'm not sure at all! Any help or suggestion or correction is appreciate!



You might try, "Don't be so finicky, even though you have a hair out of place, you still look great!"

Phil


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## ollylove

MR1492 said:


> You might try, "Don't be so finicky, even though you have a hair out of place, you still look great!"
> 
> Phil



Thank you everyone!
What about "pernickety"??.. it's the UK version of finicky, right? I'd prefer to use UK words when possible, since I live in London, just for consistency, nothing else..

Actually I just would like to describe myself like a "finicky, fussy" web designer, when I talk with my colleagues - this is my situation, more than talking about hairs, in that case I would say "even though you're untidy, you still look great"..
does it make sense?


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## sorry66

Yes, I was going to mention 'pernickety' but 'finicky' is ok too.


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## Einstein

Yes, finicky or pernickety.

I'd say "perfectionist" is more complimentary than "perfettino", which is usually ironic, as *ollylove *says.


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## ollylove

Einstein said:


> Yes, finicky or pernickety.
> 
> I'd say "perfectionist" is more complimentary than "perfettino", which is usually ironic, as *ollylove *says.



Nice one! Thank you Einstein!!..


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## Archilochus

On this side of the Pond, we say "persnickety".


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## MR1492

sorry66 said:


> Yes, I was going to mention 'pernickety' but 'finicky' is ok too.





Archilochus said:


> On this side of the Pond, we say "persnickety".



I was tempted to use _persnickety _but I settled on _finicky_.  Personally, I think either one is a reasonable translation of _perfettino _based on Einstein's contribution.

Phil


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## AlabamaBoy

"Perfectionist" is usually not a compliment here. But I guess it is best to avoid it if it would be misunderstood elsewhere.


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## MR1492

AlabamaBoy said:


> "Perfectionist" is usually not a compliment here. But I guess it is best to avoid it if it would be misunderstood elsewhere.



Agree, AB.  I just felt that either persnickety or finicky had a bit more of a pejorative tone.  Einstein noted in post 9 that he felt _perfettino_ was a little more negative than perfectionist.  Regardless, it's a judgment call on these things so I guess any of them gets the idea across.

Phil


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## You little ripper!

ollylove said:


> - C'mon, don't be finicky, even if you have unkempt hairs, you are still good-looking!





ollylove said:


> .......this is my situation, more than talking about hairs, in that case I would say "even though you're untidy, you still look great"..
> does it make sense?


Ollylove, we use the singular _hair_, not the plural _hairs_ in this context. 

Another option might be _fusspot_. _Don't be such a fusspot ........... _

fusspot
*fusspot* _n_ _informal_ (fussy or finicky person) pignolo, precisino, pedante _agg_


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## Einstein

AlabamaBoy said:


> "Perfectionist" is usually not a compliment here. But I guess it is best to avoid it if it would be misunderstood elsewhere.


Yes, I didn't mean to say that "perfectionist" is a real compliment, but to me it's not so negative as "perfettino". I _might _say, in admiration, "You're a real perfectionist!", maybe referring to something unnecessary but nevertheless positive, but I would never use "perfettino" this way.


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## Paulfromitaly

Perfettino is someone who's pushed perfectionism a little too far, making it annoying, pointless and a source of brag.


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## sorry66

'Being a bit of a perfectionist' is one of the standard three 'weaknesses' that people cite  in interviews. In fact, it's an underhand self-compliment: you take the work so seriously that you become obsessed about detail  and doing a good job etc.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

How about, given the context, "Don't be such a hairsplitter!"


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## sorry66

I like that!


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## You little ripper!

Yeah, that's funny!


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## Archilochus

How about 'picky'?


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## sorry66

With regards to appearance you often hear 'fussy' or 'fussing about' (verb).


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## King Crimson

Since nobody has mentioned it yet, I wonder if 'prissy' could work here.


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## sorry66

It could work if the person in question is bothered about his hair because he wants to appear respectable.


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## ollylove

sorry for the delay guys, I'm going to reply you..



You little ripper! said:


> Ollylove, we use the singular _hair_, not the plural _hairs_ in this context.



Thank you for correcting me, I really appreciate this, since in my office nobody seem to care about my bad English.. a little disappointing..  



ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> How about, given the context, "Don't be such a hairsplitter!"



Cool, I will keep this word for future use, thanks!!.. 



sorry66 said:


> With regards to appearance you often hear 'fussy' or 'fussing about' (verb).



I read that _fussy_ describes someone who is precise but nervous as well.. in my case I want to describe someone who's really precise, far too precise, but still and not nervous.. but maybe I just understood wrong, for sure you know more than me about this word!



sorry66 said:


> It could work if the person in question is bothered about his hair because he wants to appear respectable.



In fact, in our hair example the person is actually bothered about his appearance, so _prissy_ fits well here..

Ok, so far we have: _perfectionist - finicky/persnickety/pernickety - fussy/fusspot - picky - prissy_..
which one(s) do you think is more suitable for describing a person who is highly detailed and "perfect" in his job, like a web designer, who wants everything to be perfectly aligned, everything in their right place, sizes perfectly matching, exact colours, and so on??.. from a melodic point of view a would say finicky/pernickety, but from the concept point of view only English guys can help!!.. 

Thank you guyyys!!


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## sorry66

I'd use 'perfectionist' for your designer.


ollylove said:


> I read that _fussy_ describes someone who is precise but nervous as well.. in my case I want to describe someone who's really precise, far too precise, but still and not nervous.. but maybe I just understood wrong, for sure you know more than me about this word!


I don't understand 'fussy' in the way you describe.


ollylove said:


> In fact, in our hair example the person is actually bothered about his appearance, so _prissy_ fits well here..


I think you've misunderstood: _prissy_ describes someone who cares about conformity; it's not about  vanity (worrying about your beauty).


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## ollylove

sorry66 said:


> I'd use 'perfectionist' for your designer.
> 
> I think you've misunderstood: _prissy_ describes someone who cares about conformity; it's not about  vanity (worrying about your beauty).



Ah OK, excellent! will keep in mind, thanks!

Thank you so much Sorry66, you've been very helpful!!.. ;-)
Cheers!!


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## MR1492

ollylove said:


> Ok, so far we have: _perfectionist - finicky/persnickety/pernickety - fussy/fusspot - picky - prissy_..
> which one(s) do you think is more suitable for describing a person who is highly detailed and "perfect" in his job, like a web designer, who wants everything to be perfectly aligned, everything in their right place, sizes perfectly matching, exact colours, and so on??.. from a melodic point of view a would say finicky/pernickety, but from the concept point of view only English guys can help!!..
> 
> Thank you guyyys!!



How about "Jobsian" as in Steve Jobs of Apple?  

Phil


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

There's also "nitpicker", which also ties in with hair, as nits (louse eggs - gross!) are found in the hair. Otherwise, "perfectionist" is fine with me (and a bit more formal). And, of course, it depends on the context - who you're talking to. (By the way, ollylove, you said in #26 "only English guys can help", but six posters in addition to myself before that are native English speakers...)


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## MStraf

ollylove said:


> ...
> Ok, so far we have: _perfectionist - finicky/persnickety/pernickety - fussy/fusspot - picky - prissy_..
> which one(s) do you think is more suitable for describing a person who is highly detailed and "perfect" in his job, like a web designer, who wants everything to be perfectly aligned, everything in their right place, sizes perfectly matching, exact colours, and so on?? ...


In the case the designer is not picky at all, he/she is just doing his/her job.
As far as I remember "perfettino" is used for someone that pays too much attention to the details *even when it is not strictly necessary*, in that case we (I work as a software engineer) say "to be over the top" or, more technically "overengineering it". It is really bad at the beginning of a project, when we are still working on the specification, and then become annoying later when it takes forever to finish because the person is never satisfied with the outcome. In other words, to do a good job it is perfectly ok to be picky, but not "too" picky.


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## johngiovanni

Well, my oh my, aren't we just the little perfectionist!


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## chipulukusu

I've also heard something like "_he's a do-it-right kind of guy_" that I interpret as è _un precisino_, with a more positive nuance than _perfettino. _But it could also mean someone who always strictly abides toby the law, I'm not quite sure; Hints are welcomed 

_thanks Ain'tt_


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

Ciao, chip, 
For someone who always does things strictly as prescribed, we can say "He's/She's a book man (guy)/woman", meaning that they do things "by the book", they adhere to "the letter of the law". Hope this helps.


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## chipulukusu

ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> Ciao, chip,
> For someone who always does things strictly as prescribed, we can say "He's/She's a book man (guy)/woman", meaning that they do things "by the book", they adhere to "the letter of the law". Hope this helps.


Thank you very much Ain'tt (and thank you for the corrections above)


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