la briciola, la goccia, il pelino

English translation: the tiniest details

09:07 Sep 17, 2002
Italian to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting / art
Italian term or phrase: la briciola, la goccia, il pelino
c¹è sempre da ritoccare qualcosa; la briciola, la goccia, il pelino ecc - an airbrush artist talking about his work
Dave
English translation:the tiniest details
Explanation:
I think that the three terms are not to be taken literally, in the sense that the terms denote idiomatically, in Italian, an infinitesimal quantity as in the examples below:
una briciola di pazienza
la goccia che fa traboccare il vaso
il pelo nell'uovo

I doubt that such details are literally in the photograph or painting.

paola l m


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Note added at 2002-09-17 10:44:01 (GMT) Post-grading
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I missed a word: \"are *used* literally\"
Selected response from:

CLS Lexi-tech
Local time: 11:08
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +1a crumb, a drop of something, a small hair/eyelash etc...
Kimmy
5crumbs, drops, hairs
Angela Arnone
4the tiniest details
CLS Lexi-tech


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
a crumb, a drop of something, a small hair/eyelash etc...


Explanation:
Small items that could get "caught" in the paintwork while still wet!

Kimmy
Local time: 01:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  marfus
6 mins
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
crumbs, drops, hairs


Explanation:
Whilst agreeing with Kimmy's basic translation, I don't feel your airbrush artist will be working on "paintwork" but rather on touching up photographs - that's what they do isn't it? Smooth out the warts and the hairs and the spots that all humans have, to create those frightening "perfect" pictures that give us all terrible inferiority complexes?
So he is "smoothing out the wrinkles" or defects on the subjects in his work.
Angela



Angela Arnone
Local time: 16:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 87
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
the tiniest details


Explanation:
I think that the three terms are not to be taken literally, in the sense that the terms denote idiomatically, in Italian, an infinitesimal quantity as in the examples below:
una briciola di pazienza
la goccia che fa traboccare il vaso
il pelo nell'uovo

I doubt that such details are literally in the photograph or painting.

paola l m


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-17 10:44:01 (GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

I missed a word: \"are *used* literally\"


CLS Lexi-tech
Local time: 11:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 8
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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