The phrase: "mind your "p"s and "q"s...what does the p and q stand for?

Question

I hear this phrase a lot and wonder what they stand for. Thank you.

Answer 1

Nobody really knows where this phrase came from. The more fanciful explanations for "mind your p's and q's" include:

It 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.

It meant "mind your pea (jacket) and queue." Queues (pigtails) were often powdered, and wifeypoo was telling hubby to keep the cruddy kid stuff off his collar. An even dumber variation of this involves "pieds," French for "feet," and says minding your p's and q's means combing your hair and polishing your shoes, or something like that.

P and q stands for "prime quality." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to be P and Q was a regional expression meaning top quality. It first shows up in a bit of doggerel from 1612: "Bring in a quart of Maligo, right true: And looke, you Rogue, that it be Pee and Kew."

The simplest explanation is that the expression refers to the difficulty kids have distinguishing lower-case p and q, mirror images of each other. Mind your you-know-whats was thus a teacher's admonition to students. Plausible? Yes. Sexy? No. Such is the fate of a slave to facts.

Answer 2

What was explained in school:

P's = Priorities
Q's = Qualities

Always remember that you have "priorities" in life, and the "qualities" of your character will help you achieve them...

Real answer is:

Shortening for "Pints and Quarts", which were the two main measurements for drinks. Whereas now we use pints, half pints, shots etc, there used to be Pints and Quarts

When things got rowdy, as they tend to do in pubs, you'd normally hear something like "Mind your Pints and Quarts" and a warning or some such. this was shortened to "mind your P's and Q's

Answer 3

In the old days, barkeepers would keep track of their patrons’ tabs by noting how many pints (ps) and quarts (qs) they had consumed on a blackboard behind the bar. Over the course of a busy evening, with many erasures and editings, and perhaps the handwriting of more than one barkeeper, patrons’ running tabs could get quite confusing. So “mind your ps and qs” was an admonition for patrons to try and keep a track of their own tab. Minding their own ps and qs could also be taken a gentle suggestion for patrons to watch how much consumed and not get too drunk. In modern usage, the expression means for one to “mind their manners”.

Answer 4

Lynnie is right on her second one....pubs back in the old days used to serve in pints and quarts so when people started getting too tipsy they would be told to mind their pints and quarts...shortened to p's and q's.I don't know for sure how it became part of regular language but also means Mind your manners.

Answer 5

If you have ever been a typesetter, and I have, when you are putting the type back in the drawer, the p (lower case) and q (lower case) are almost virtually the same, except reverse. So in replacing the type, you have to "watch your ps and qs."

Answer 6

Generally the phrase means to be on your best behaviour; be careful of your language.

Other meanings of Ps and Qs:

"peace and quiet"

"Mind your pleases and thank-yous"

"Mind your pea (jacket) and queue (wig)"

"prime quality"

More origins:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/248000.html

Wiki explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ps_and_Qs

A puzzling and quirky idiom:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/psandqs.htm

Answer 7

It's because a 'p' looks like a backward 'q' and vice versa. It means, sit up and pay attention to the details... the details of your behavior... whatever.

Answer 8

Two common explanations:

If you were a typesetter it was easy to get letters 'p' and 'q' reversed. Keep them straight.

In a pub they kept track of how many pints and how many quarts you had drunk - your tab

Answer 9

I always thought it was phrases and questions, but Lynnie's sounds more plausable.

Answer 10

it is basically used for young children, and 'ps and qs" means

please [p] and thank yous [q].

most parents use it to teach and remind thier kids. it is often found in books for children, eg, enid blyton:)