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(Felton Vaz, Tooththukudi)

The expression ‘to a fault’ is usually used with some good quality: ‘generous’, ‘humble’, etc. When you say that someone is ‘generous to a fault’, what you mean is that the individual is excessively generous. He goes overboard with his generosity. The person is so generous that it can be seen as a flaw in his character. Another word which is normally used with ‘to a fault’ is ‘humble’: humble to a fault, meaning, being excessively humble.

*My wife is generous to a fault. Last week she gave away all her jewellery to charity.

“Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.” — Evelyn Waugh

S. UPENDRAN

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