2006-06-11 01:23:28 · 6 answers · asked by shadow05 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
The Ps are pints and the Qs are quarts. The barkeep "chalks up" or "puts on the slate" the drinks supplied to customers; they must be aware of how much they have drunk or their bills will be unexpectedly large.
2006-06-11 01:30:46 · answer #1 · answered by Voodoo Doll 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before there were computers (gasp) people who wanted to print a page of a book or newspaper had to set the letters by hand into a block and roll the ink and press the paper onto the block to get a print. The p's and q's could be easily confused changing the context of a sentence. Minding your p's and q's was the duty of the printer.
2006-06-13 09:03:05 · answer #2 · answered by beakey 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've heard they stand for pints and quarts and that the saying originated in taverns in Europe. The bartender was known for saying 'watch your p's and q's" as a reminder that the tab was being tallied.
2006-06-11 01:29:53 · answer #3 · answered by CosmicKiss 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you turn the P around and upside down...you have a q...and visa versa. It simply means to think before you act or react..........there is a right way and a wrong way, etc.
2006-06-11 01:43:12 · answer #4 · answered by deputydawg 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hello
I always took it to mean, along with "behave properly", to also mean "be careful". Now I base this on my simple dedution that "p" and "q" are mirror images of each other "pq", thus "be careful" not to mix them up.
thankx fr ur time
healthy regards
dilpreet
2006-06-11 02:50:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please (P) & Thank you (because of the Q sound it makes.) So the phrase refers to watching your manners.
2006-06-11 01:27:24 · answer #6 · answered by creativitee 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋