2007-04-23 06:46:43 · 3 answers · asked by electricsaa 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
The saying mind your p's and q's was used in old school days by elementary teachers when giving little ones assignments the lower case p's and q's were so commonly mixed up the teacher would remind them to watch out for them.
2007-04-23 07:07:24 · answer #1 · answered by Savage 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No one knows for sure, but it also could have come from old newspaper printers.
Back then, you had to create a template which would be dipped in ink and then pushed down on paper to create the newspaper. The letters and numbers on the template itself had to be mirror images of what would be put on the newspaper. It was easy to mix up your Ps and Qs, so that's where the phrase comes from.
2007-04-23 07:09:27 · answer #2 · answered by Ooze90 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The saying originated in England. In the old English pubs when drunken disorderly costumers whould get loud and rowdy, the bar servers would worn them "mind your pints and quarts.
2007-04-23 07:14:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋