what does minding your p's and q's mean?

Question

what does the p mean and what does the q mean?

Answer 1

In innkeeper speak it meant take care of business, or mind your pints and quarts. Today it translates into taking care of your business, whatever your business might be.

Answer 2

The old-fashion outdated quirky saying was first recorded in 1779. It simply means minding your manners or to be prudent in one's own behavior. The idiom can also mean to pay sharp attention.The "P''meaning prime and the "Q" quality. That's the best I can do for now.

Answer 3

This saying originated in the pubs. When someone was getting unruly or mouthy the bartender would say mind your p's and q's.
Which meant drink your ale in your pints and quarts, and don't cause trouble. Nowadays, it means pay attention to your own business.

Answer 4

It comes from printers admonishing their apprentices not to mix up the similar appear p's and q's in the early days of movable type.

The pints and quarts story is almost certainly apocryphal.

Answer 5

It's from the age of bar maids, Minding your pints and quarts

Answer 6

Minding your business. Pints and quarts.

Answer 7

This is open for debate, but it usually heads back to the Pub, where the barkeep needs to keep tabs on all the (p)ints and (q)uarts sold

Answer 8

Pints & Quarts

Answer 9

To mind one's Ps and Qs (1779), possibly is from confusion of these letters among children learning to write.

Answer 10

It came from the old time printers. When setting the print the "P" and the"Q" were hard to tell which was which.