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generous

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be just before you're generous

Fulfill your duties before engaging in fun activities. This phrase is often used to refer to financial matters. Put some of your paycheck in savings right away—be just before you're generous. You need to clean your room before you go out with your friends. Be just before you're generous.

See also: before, generous, just

Be just before you're generous.

Prov. Do what you ought to do before you do things that you want to do; pay your debts before you give money away. Jill: It's payday! I can't wait to go out and buy my niece that nice toy train set for her birthday. Jane: But, Jill, we have bills to pay. Be just before you're generous.

See also: before, generous, just

generous to a fault

Cliché too generous; overly generous. My favorite uncle is generous to a fault. Sally—always generous to a fault—gave away her lunch to a homeless man.

See also: fault, generous

to a fault

more than is necessary She was generous to a fault, taking me out to dinner and buying me expensive gifts.

Usage notes: used after an adjective that describes one of someone's good characteristics

See also: fault

to a fault

if someone is generous or has another good quality to a fault, they are very generous or have more of that good quality than other people Nigel was generous to a fault, taking me out to dinner and buying me flowers and chocolates.

See also: fault

to a fault

Excessively, extremely, as in He was generous to a fault. This phrase, always qualifying an adjective, has been so used since the mid-1700s. Indeed, Oliver Goldsmith had this precise usage in The Life of Richard Nash (1762).

See also: fault

to a fault

To an excessive degree: generous to a fault.

See also: fault