kadı kazı

English translation: Little miss perfect

20:28 Jun 8, 2015
Turkish to English translations [Non-PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / technical term
Turkish term or phrase: kadı kazı
What exactly is the meaning of this phrase I came across? There is an entry on one of the 'colloquial' dictionaries online, which says:-
kadı kızı
adı, soyadı, yaşı, saç rengi, göz rengi, ne işle uğraştığı, boyu, kilosu, huyları, yetenekleri asla bilinmemekle beraber ideale yakın olduğu kabul edilerek sosyal meşhur edilmiş kızlardan biri. bir diğeri için (bkz: arap kızı). niye insanı özendirirler bilinmez. o kadar kusur kadı kızında da olur. . yani tamam o kadar da kasma, kadı kızı bile senin yapmaya çalıştığını yapamadı, yani bu kadarı sana kafi. .
biraz kusuru olan kızdır.*
kusursuzluğuyla atasözlerine ilham vermiş kızdır. babası devletin adalet işlerini yürütür.

I have no idea what all this means but it doesn't help my understanding when I enter it on any translation engine. I need elucidation!
Hellinas
Local time: 00:01
English translation:Little miss perfect
Explanation:
There seems to be disagreement as to whether this refers to a girl deemed to be beyond all reproach, in which case the above is a good fit, or whether we are thinking in terms of the idiom:
“O kadar kusur kadı kızında da olur”
(which would seem to translate very closely as "Nobody's perfect")
and then we are referring to a girl who, while seemingly flawless, actually has her faults as all humans are fallible. In that case, perhaps "Little miss not so perfect" would be a better fit.
Selected response from:

Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 02:01
Grading comment
As Tim points out, there seems to be some disagreement whether girls were expected to be flawless. 'Little miss perfect/little miss not so perfect' mean in essence the same thing but both imply that kadi kızı is a mild term of reproach, like the common 'goody two shoes'. Tuncer points to the cultural expectations implied in kadi kızı. Salih's proverb is off the point since kadı kızı is an idiom not a proverb & doesn't mean either
eldeki serçe daldaki keklikten iyidir or
elde bir kuş ağaçta bir kuştan yeğdir.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4pure and perfect person
Tuncer ÖZ
5 -1A bird in hand is better than two in the bush
Salih YILDIRIM
3qadi's girl
ATIL KAYHAN
3Little miss perfect
Tim Drayton


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
qadi's girl


Explanation:
IMHO.


    Reference: http://watchingamerica.com/WA/2010/03/24/qadis-girl-america/
ATIL KAYHAN
Türkiye
Local time: 03:01
Native speaker of: Native in TurkishTurkish
PRO pts in category: 84
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29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
pure and perfect person


Explanation:
In Ottoman State, “Kadı” was equivalent of a judge. A kadı was expected to be perfect in every aspect in society. “Kız” means “daughter” in English. Likewise, a girl is expected to be pure in our culture. Therefore “a daughter of kadı (judge) was expected to be pure and perfect.
The whole idiom is “O kadar kusur kadı kızında da olur” which means “even a daughter of a kadı makes minor mistakes”.


Tuncer ÖZ
Türkiye
Local time: 03:01
Native speaker of: Turkish
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Little miss perfect


Explanation:
There seems to be disagreement as to whether this refers to a girl deemed to be beyond all reproach, in which case the above is a good fit, or whether we are thinking in terms of the idiom:
“O kadar kusur kadı kızında da olur”
(which would seem to translate very closely as "Nobody's perfect")
and then we are referring to a girl who, while seemingly flawless, actually has her faults as all humans are fallible. In that case, perhaps "Little miss not so perfect" would be a better fit.

Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 02:01
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 75
Grading comment
As Tim points out, there seems to be some disagreement whether girls were expected to be flawless. 'Little miss perfect/little miss not so perfect' mean in essence the same thing but both imply that kadi kızı is a mild term of reproach, like the common 'goody two shoes'. Tuncer points to the cultural expectations implied in kadi kızı. Salih's proverb is off the point since kadı kızı is an idiom not a proverb & doesn't mean either
eldeki serçe daldaki keklikten iyidir or
elde bir kuş ağaçta bir kuştan yeğdir.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
A bird in hand is better than two in the bush


Explanation:
Since what is sought is a proverb.

Salih YILDIRIM
United States
Local time: 20:01
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in TurkishTurkish
PRO pts in category: 88

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Kim Metzger: A proverb would be fine, but you'd need to find the right one. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_bird_in_the_hand_is_worth_tw...
7 mins
  -> !!!
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