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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread P's and Q's #72678 06/13/2002 11:46 AM Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 2,605 Keiva Carpal Tunnel Keiva Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 2,605 What's the origin of the phrase mind your P's and Q's? Why those two particular letters, rather than (say) "mind your ABC's"? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: P's and Q's #72679 06/13/2002 5:35 PM Joined: Apr 2002 Posts: 475 manchester uk dodyskin addict dodyskin addict Joined: Apr 2002 Posts: 475 manchester uk it refers to your please and thankyous, your manners Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: P's and Q's #72680 06/13/2002 7:16 PM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA wow Carpal Tunnel wow Carpal Tunnel Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA http://wordsmith.org/board/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=wordplay&Number=23125 Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: P's and Q's #72681 06/13/2002 7:49 PM Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 2,605 Keiva Carpal Tunnel Keiva Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 2,605 Two different candidates to far. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: P's and Q's #72682 06/13/2002 8:27 PM Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 11,081 Likes: 2 Worcester, MA wofahulicodoc Carpal Tunnel wofahulicodoc Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 11,081 Likes: 2 Worcester, MA I too have heard of it as Pints and Quarts: it was important for sailors going on shore leave to be careful with them (mind them) because Press Gangs were about, and if you were too drunk to know what was going on you might wake up to find yourself crewing on a strange ship for a couple of unintended years... Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: P's and Q's #72683 06/13/2002 8:44 PM Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,526 Virginia, USA TheFallibleFiend veteran TheFallibleFiend veteran Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,526 Virginia, USA I noticed http://www.quinion.com/words/articles/psandqs.htm I remember I first heard the phrase from Mr Sipes (10th grade algebra II) who had just given us the proof that sqrt(2) was prime (check out http://www.albanyconsort.com/theorems/theorems.html about 1/2 a page down) and then stated that the phrase mind your ps and qs referred to that. I guessed he was kidding at the time, but wasn't sure until some years later. I don't recall every hearing the phrase used in conversation, but I have an extremely vague idea that I might have heard it spoken in a movie at some point. k Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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