what does mind your p's and q's mean idioms
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.
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]
Hundreds and thousands Hundreds and thousands used incorrectly instead of hundreds of thousands to mean "an indefinite but emphatically large number".
Mind your Ps and Qs Nevertheless, a number of alternative explanations have been considered as more or less plausible. Another explanation suggests that "Ps and Qs" is short for "pleases" and "thank-yous", the latter of which contains a sound similar to the pronunciation of the name of the letter "Q". Another proposed origin is from the English pubs and taverns of the 17th century. Bartenders would keep a watch on the alcohol consumption of the patrons; keeping an eye on the pints and quarts that were consumed. As a reminder to the patrons, the bartender would recommend they "mind their Ps and Qs".[3] This may also have been a reminder to bartenders not to confuse the two units, written as "p" and "q" on the tally slate.[4]