Just what are they? I never knew. Just pretended I did.
2007-11-03 09:42:21 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Senior Citizens
This refers to the old days of typesetting, when the tails of the p's and q's tended to break off. Minding your p's and q's in those days meant, literally, check those letters before printing to make sure the tails hadn't snapped off. It evolved into an expression that means be careful, watch what you are doing or even mind your manners.
2007-11-03 09:46:26 · answer #1 · answered by meatpiemum 4 · 6⤊ 0⤋
There is another story about P's and Q's/ Back in the old days when you got a beer it came in pints and quarts. When a fight broke out they told you to watch your pints and quarts. Hence watch your P's and Q's.
2007-11-03 17:22:32 · answer #2 · answered by mnwomen 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Pleases and thankyou's, always ask nicely for something and say thank you as soon as we got it, always call an elderly person Mr. or Mrs., if the person was a friend of the family they were called Uncle or Auntie, always give our seat up on a bus or train to an elderly person or a pregnant woman, never speak unless we were spoken to, and definately never answer back or say "no". (Bj)....my father was a Naval officer and we had a very strict upbringing with the cane used as a punishment. Dad was away at sea a lot and Mum was quite sadistic at times. I shudder when I think of the times she hit me and my brother and sister with those horrible canes. She had one in every room in the house....there were hooks on every wall in our house where she could reach for a cane no matter where she was stood in that particular room. She knew I was scared of the dark and oftentimes put me in the cupboard under the stairs and locked me in for hours at a time. It totally freaked me out. I still can't go into confined spaces or rooms that are too dark and I still have to sleep with a light on! We had to eat everything on our plates at mealtimes and if we did leave anything it was given to us for the next meal....and nothing else until we ate it!! I remember refusing to eat some cabbage one dinnertime during the summer holidays and she put it in front of me for breakfast, lunch and tea but I still refused to eat it! She beat me with the cane, and locked me in the understair cupboard but I had reached the point where I just would not give in.....I had to stay in my room until mealtime and then she paraded me in front of my brother and sister telling them that this would happen to them too if they ever refused to eat anything she put in front of them to eat. They were just as frightened as I was but they both sneaked food up to me when Mum wasn't looking. Eventually, after nearly 3 days I gave in and ate the now very cold, slimy and definately rancid cabbage. It was only a matter of minutes before I was violently ill to the point where she got scared and had to call for an ambulance to take me to hospital! I never told anyone at the hospital what the cause was....I didn't dare. She was ok with me for quite a long time after that but she still scares the life out of me to this day even though we haven't been on speaking terms for many years. Hey, really sorry for going on but P's n Q's meant a lot more in our house than it did in a lot of my friends as a child!!!
2007-11-03 19:51:56 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Watch your pints and quarts is always the one I have heard. Especially during a saloon fight or pub fight which is where it probably originated.
2007-11-03 18:07:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Meat pie, I never knowed that. Never had any idea what it meant other than I'd get a butt blistered if I didn't behave myself.
2007-11-03 17:08:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
When I was in the military, your "P's&Q's" were part of your military record and referred to your "potential" and "quotient".
During periodic reviews, you were graded on them. They referred to your performance. As in living up to your potential and fulfilling the quotient of your job - whatever it was.
Promotions relied heavily on these scores.
2007-11-03 20:54:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's just a reminder to always be on your best behavior.
2007-11-03 17:26:21 · answer #7 · answered by Mike M. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
P. pipe down.
means the same as Q. quiet.
children were to be seen and not heard.
2007-11-03 18:09:03 · answer #8 · answered by Hannah's Grandpa 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It meant be on your best behavior.
T4
2007-11-03 17:05:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
it was the good old days of being polite on all levels,no matter who it was.Always say please and thankyou,or no thankyou,eat what out were given etc,and respect your elders..cheers
2007-11-03 21:14:18 · answer #10 · answered by shrebee 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋