where do we get the phrase mind your p's and q's
Mind your Ps and Qs Mind your Ps and Qs is an English expression meaning "mind your manners", "mind your language", "be on your best behaviour" or similar.
Matthew 7:7–8 The common English expression "Seek and Ye Shall Find" is derived from this verse.
William Edward Hickson The proverb can be traced back to the writings of Thomas H. Palmer in his Teacher's Manual, and The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat.[3]
Mind your Ps and Qs According to Michael Quinion, "[i]nvestigations by the Oxford English Dictionary in 2007 when revising the entry turned up early examples of the use of Ps and Qs to mean learning the alphabet. The first is in a poem by Charles Churchill, published in 1763: “On all occasions next the chair / He stands for service of the Mayor, / And to instruct him how to use / His A’s and B’s, and P’s and Q’s.” The conclusion must be that this is the true origin."[2]