when people say the old saying "mind your p's and q's " what does the P and Q stand for ?

Answer 1

This expression, meaning "be very careful to behave correctly",
has been in use from the 17th century on. Theories include: an
admonishment to children learning to write; an admonishment to
typesetters (who had to look at the letters reversed); an
admonishment to seamen not to soil their navy pea-jackets with
their tarred "queues" (pigtails); "mind your pints and quarts";
"mind your prices and quality"; "mind your pieds and queues"
(either feet and pigtails, or two dancing figures that had to be
accurately performed); the substitution of /p/ for "qu" /kw/ in the
speech of uneducated ancient Romans; or the confusion by students
learning both Latin and Ancient Greek of such cognates as _pente_
and _quintus_. And yes, we've heard the joke about the instruction
to new sextons: "Mind your keys and pews."

Answer 2

There are many different explainations for this. One is the pints and quarts explanation. Another is the sailor version that goes like this...

There are few of us who at one time or another have not been admonished to "mind our P's and Q's," or in other words, to behave our best. Oddly enough, "mind your P's and Q's" had nautical beginnings as a method of keeping books on the waterfront.

In the days of sail when Sailors were paid a pittance, seamen drank their ale in taverns whose keepers were willing to extend credit until payday. Since many salts were illiterate, keepers kept a tally of pints and quarts consumed by each Sailor on a chalkboard behind the bar. Next to each person's name, a mark was made under "P" for pint or "Q" for quart whenever a seaman ordered another draught.

On payday, each seaman was liable for each mark next to his name, so he was forced to "mind his P's and Q's" or he would get into financial trouble. To ensure an accurate count by unscrupulous keepers, Sailors had to keep their wits and remain somewhat sober. Sobriety usually ensured good behavior, hence the meaning of "mind your P's and Q's."


In anycase, it's an old saying that means a lot of different things but in today's times, it just simply means...

mind your own business

Answer 3

3 different possible explanations

1. Pints and Quarts- English pubs and bartenders would serve beers in pints and quarts and when people got up in it, they would yell at them to mind their p's and q's.

2. Typesetting- printers. P and Q look the same, especially for printers who put the letters in backwards. They had to be very careful.

or 3. Please and Thank "Q"....thought to be the least likely option.

This question gets asked almost every week! Strange...I've answered this before :)

Answer 4

In English pubs, ale was ordered by pints and quarts. So, in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down.

Answer 5

Literally: pints & quarts

Figuratively: Mind your manners

Answer 6

Las iniciales de l. a. frases "Descanse en paz" o "Descansen en paz" escritas en latín (Requiesca(n)t in %."). También se usan en vez de RIP las iniciales de las frases en latin traducción de estas expresiones "Que su alma descanse en paz" (AERIP) o "Descanse en paz para siempre" (RIPA) o un mezcla de ambas (AERIPA) - l. a. an particularly final sale de "in Aeternum" En vez de iniciales en latín se pueden utilizar las iniciales en el idioma propio (por ejemplo DEP o QDEP o DEP o QDEP en español), excepto en italiano o inglés y tal vez otros idiomas en que se escribe l. a. frase completa porque sus iniciales no se distinguirían de las latinas: Italiano: Riposa In %. Inglés: relax in Peace

Answer 7

When setting type in printing presses, the p and q are reversed when you look at them. Thus, mindy your p's and q's.

Answer 8

Say please and q's i'm not exactly sure. Just be on your best behavior is what mind your p's and q's mean. Be respectful is what it means.

Answer 9

meaning don't get them backwords, or messed up, or confused.... lower case p and q almost look the same. i guess some ppl were really dumb, and that's why it got started....

Answer 10

probably PROBLEMS and QUESTIONS.