A Persian flaw was a flaw intentionally introduced by Persian artisans of Earth to signify that man was inherently flawed. The expression "Persian flaw" might also be used figuratively.

In 2365, William T. Riker suggested that Jean-Luc Picard's inability to "just sit down, shut up, and wait" when faced with a situation where, not only could he not see the solution, but he could not define the problem was his "Persian flaw". (TNG: "Time Squared")