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    What do the letters stand for in the saying "Mind Your P's & Q's"?

    0  Views: 674 Answers: 3 Posted: 12 years ago

    3 Answers

    There is no set explanation as to where it started or what it means exactly. See here: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/mind-your-ps-and-qs.html

    Pints and quarts! In olden days at the pub folks drank pints or quarts. If you were a good barkeep, you remembered who drank what- Hence mind your P's and Q's.

    Colleen

    Moderator
    It also refers to making sure you wrote p for p and q for q, not p for q or q for p.
    CubJoz

    That's what I always thought it meant too...but it comes from ship's/boat's & the guys had to mind their P's & Q's, which had something to do w/ their hair & something they were wearing {I believe}. I will do some more checking until I find the one from the 1600's +. I let you know when I find it.
    itsmee

    I like to learn new things every day. Thanks, Colleen.

    clu ~ Thank you. I ALWAYS wanted to know that but I didn’t know I wanted to know. You know?

    clu

    Maybe sometimes!


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