What are the "p's & q's" we're supposed to mind?

Question

What does that expression mean?

Answer 1

Tradition says that this phrase comes from the printing industry, back when individual type was loaded in by hand, it was really easy to confuse the lower case p and q, and since the type was loaded in a reverse formation, the words
running from right to left and the letters would read
backwards to the person setting the type, it would be really
easy to mix up the p"s and q"s. So the expression remains
in use implying that one whould be attentive to details....

Answer 2

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. Another common theory is of a teacher telling a young student to write p's and q's appropriately, as they look similar.
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 as a term to tell someone to be careful of their actions.

Answer 3

A long time ago, when a person would go out drinking, they would get their beer in either a pint size mug or a quart size mug, whenever a fight would break out someone would yell out mind your pints and quarts. The term got abbreviated to 'mind your p's and q's.

Answer 4

Its an old English saying referring to pints and quarts.
In pubs in England the bartender would tell the costumers to mind their own drinks, meaning keep-track of what they consumed, in other words, mind your pints and quarts.

Answer 5

Comes from the days of American Prohibition. Means watch your pints and quarts as in bootleg booze!

Answer 6

Means to learn one's letters. Dates back to the late 18th century. Some people think it refers to the hard time children had learning to distinguish between the letters p and q, since they are mirror images of one another.
Meaning to pay attention to what you are doing. Schol children would learn to keep their mind in their own buisness.

All this time later, we use it to say "MIND YOUR OWN BUISNESS!"

Answer 7

When I was a kid I knew it to mean. Be Polite and be Quite! We were told not to speak unless spoken to and then to be polite when we did speak.

Answer 8

Seems nobody really knows. I always thought it was like, be Polite and don't ask too many Questions.

Answer 9

it basically means your manners, to behave properly,,,,,,,, for little children learning the alphabet, its easy for them to mix up p with q, so it means being careful and paying attention,,,,

Answer 10

i remember i once read on a enid blyton short story for children..

"Ps & Qs" actually meant "Please" and "Thank You"

so you're supposed to remember to say your "please"s and "thank you"s.. it is actually really something that alot of people forget to say and practice it in their daily life..