2006-12-21 06:31:18 · 11 answers · asked by Pancake 7 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
The phrase "mind your Ps and Qs" means "mind your manners". Originally, it meant "be careful" - it has since been used for social situations.
Etymologists, the people who think about the origins of words, do not know its origins. There are several theories: the 'pints and quarts' version is among the most popular, as is one involving printers laying typeface. These remain educated guesses.
2006-12-21 06:47:52 · answer #1 · answered by versus 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Possible derivations:
The Word of the Day site suggests this phrase has more possible origins than any other -- and nobody knows just what to believe. The only thing everyone can agree upon is that the idiom was first cited by the Oxford English Dictionary in 1779 with the meaning of watching your step and being polite.
One simple explanation is that it's a childish abbreviation for minding your "pleases" and "thank yous." Considering how often kids are told to "mind your Ps and Qs" with the goal of being more polite, this explanation makes sense.
Two popular theories revolve around the mirror-image quality of the two letters. The phrase was recorded in 1830 as meaning "to learn one's letters." It was aimed at children learning to hand-write the lowercase letters p and q, which are quite similar. Another explanation along the same lines comes from the world of printing. Typesetters used blocks of type that were mirror images of the letters, so it would be easy to mix up lowercase p and q. This origin would give "mind your Ps and Qs" a connotation of being careful and paying sharp attention.
Another oft-mentioned source of the phrase is old pubs where beer and ale was served in pints and quarts. The barkeeper tracked patrons' drinking totals by marking "P" for pints and "Q" for quarts. Both the barkeeper and the drinker would want to keep careful track of those Ps and Qs so they knew what the final bill would be. Also, the drinker might want to pay attention to how much he drank so as to keep his own behavior under control.
World Wide Words notes that this puzzling and quirky idiom has inspired some fanciful explanations. In the 17th century, the expression "P and Q" meant "prime quality," which might have influenced the Ps and Qs phrase. Some suggest the saying came from a French dancing master's instructions to perform the dance figures pieds and queues properly. Or it could be an admonishment to sailors to keep their navy peacoats clean around their tarred queues or pigtails. But these derivations seem pretty far-fetched.
2006-12-21 08:28:28 · answer #2 · answered by kaymay09 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically it means to behave yourself.
The Word of the Day site suggests this phrase has more possible origins than any other -- and nobody knows just what to believe. The only thing everyone can agree upon is that the idiom was first cited by the Oxford English Dictionary in 1779 with the meaning of watching your step and being polite.
The most plausible explanation is the one given in the latest
edition of Collins English Dictionary: an alteration of "Mind
your 'please's and 'thank you's".
2006-12-21 06:33:42 · answer #3 · answered by Melli 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Originally derived from the phrase originating in late to mid-1612 "To mind one's P's and Q's". In 1745 Francis I purportedly demanded that his troops mind their P's and Q's. In the late 1800's the phrase gained popularity in Victorian households. It may have originated in British pubs as an abbreviation for "mind your pints and quarts." Supposedly this warned the barkeep to serve full measure, mark the customer's tab accurately, etc.
Today this phrase has come to refer to one's 'pleases' and 'thank-you's' with both letters 'p' and 'q' in onomatopoeic representation of their respective words. It is also used a a term to tell someone to be careful of their actions.
2006-12-21 06:35:05 · answer #4 · answered by unassailed 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Beer is sold in pints and quarts in Irelands pubs. If a fight broke out the bartender would shout mind your pints and quarts. Thus came mind your ps and qs.
2006-12-21 06:41:29 · answer #5 · answered by mnwomen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means to be very attentive to your actions and words. When you speak into a microphone to a large audience, you will notice that all your P's and Q's sound exactly the same, which is the observation from which this statement is derived (or so I've been told).
2006-12-21 06:35:15 · answer #6 · answered by Black Angel 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Bartenders would say it to rowdy customers years ago... "mind your Pints & Quarts" - alcoholic beverages backin da' day.
2006-12-21 06:35:33 · answer #7 · answered by Chris V 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Pints and Quarts, meaning "don't drink too much and act rowdy."
2006-12-21 06:35:14 · answer #8 · answered by Mickey Mouse Spears 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It means to watch yourself, stay on your toes, be mindful of how you act and talk to others...in other words.
2006-12-21 06:34:00 · answer #9 · answered by JaM 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Mind your p's and q's means to behave yourself.
2006-12-21 06:32:57 · answer #10 · answered by kja63 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋