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From English Public House jargon. During that time beer was consumed in Pints and Quarts and bartenders needed to keep a sharp eye out as to what was being consumed and not confuse consumption for the 'tally slate'. So, mind your P's and Q's was a reminder to bar staff to record the correct quantities consumed
Efren Leffler
The phrase "mind your Ps and Qs" is an English idiom that means to be polite, cautious, and mindful of one's manners or behavior. It suggests paying attention to details and being on one's best behavior.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago"Mind your P's and Q's" means "mind your behavior" - "be on your best behavior" - "mind your manners" in modern parlance.
The Origin of P and Q:
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In old England the pubs served their beer and ale in pints and quarts. As there was no legal limit or anything like that, the men in the pubs often got rowdy, belligerent, or started fights. The 'bar tender' would often have to shout over the chaos, "SIT DOWN! MIND YOUR PINTS AND QUARTS AND BE QUIET!" or something along those lines. Minding the pints and quarts meant don't slosh them around and spill them. This came down to us as a reprimand for rowdy behavior:
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It relates back to the age of little 12 year olds become printing apprentices. So when they used to set up the letters on the press it would be very hard to identify the p's from the q's. That's were the quote mind your p's and q's came from. Now what it means is that you should not worry about knowing the difference between p's and q's. So just mind your business
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I believe it comes from the fact that lower case p and lower case q are mirror images in many fonts. Compounding the problem (when fonts were collections of individual tiny letter stamps) is the fact that the physical letter stamp is a mirror image of the printed form. This must have led to a lot of confusion and constant typographical errors. 'Mind your p's and q's' would then have an obvious meaning.
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It may, also, be associated with Irish colloquial vernacular. When regular patrons of an Irish Pub would draw or pour their own beer during an evening their count or number of drinks would be tabulated on a black board in the size ( i.e. pints and quarts) and number of the drinks they consumed during their visit. And as the night drew on the bar keep would remind each to mind their tab with "mind your pints and quarts" or "mind your P's & Q's". This would really mean that they should settle their bar tab before they left the establishment.
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An alternate meaning for this idiom, and the one most commonly accepted as historical fact, dates back to the Olde English Pubs of yester-year. In order to remind the patrons of how much Ale or Mead they had drunk as the night progressed, the bartender would write on a chalk board (or the like) each (P)int and (Q)uart that had been consumed by each patron. It allowed said patrons to keep up with their tab, and prevented disagreements from happening between bar and patron. The term is actually correctly stated as "'Mind' your p's and q's." In this instance it is considered a warning to not get too drunk to pay your tab. Likewise in today's parlance it is a warning to pay attention to anything in general.
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Look in Wikipedia too to help you decide which explanation is correct. (see related link below)
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When you write a letter and Sign it then say PS some one is coming tomorrow for example what does the PS actually mean?
PS stands for Post Scriptum, which is Latin for "written after." It is used to add additional information that the writer forgot to include in the main body of the letter. In this case, the PS indicates that someone is coming the next day as an afterthought.
What does black mind mean?
It is not clear what you mean by "black mind." Can you provide more context or clarify your question?
Does PS stand for plus sentence?
No, PS stands for Postscript, which is used at the end of a letter to add additional information.
What does you were on my mind mean?
"You were on my mind" means that someone was thinking about you or had you in their thoughts. It suggests that you were occupying their thoughts or emotions.
What is the mean of symbol PS?
In finance, 'PS' typically refers to the Price-to-Sales ratio. This metric is calculated by dividing the company's market capitalization by its total sales revenue. It helps investors evaluate a company's valuation relative to its revenue generation.
What does the idiom mind your PS andQs mean?
Mind your Ps and Qs means to use good manners.
What does keeping up with your PS and Qs mean?
The term Keeping up with your Ps and Qs is generally quoted as Minding your Ps and Qs. This is an old term, which means to Mind your Pints and Quarts, which means to mind your own business, basically, or to take care of a task.
Mind your PS and Qs?
to be careful how you behave
What does mind you p's and t's mean?
Actually, it's mind your PS and qs. It means, be careful and meticulous in what you say and how you behave. When I was young, I did a little typesetting. Moveable type is lovely stuff, but it's the mirror image of the letters it prints; so a b in type looks like a d. Rotate a d, and you have a p; rotate a b and you have a q. Typesetters had to mind their PS and qs all the time.
What is the plural possessive of p and q?
The plural form is Ps and Qs.The plural possessive form is Ps and Qs'.Example: Your Ps and Qs' training seems lacking.
What does to mind ones PS and qs mean?
P and Q stood for Prime Quality in England, but more than likely it was made to keep children from messing up the lower cases which are mirror images (p and q)
Why is the sum of two rational numbers always rational numbers?
Suppose p/q and r/s are rational numbers where p, q, r and s are integers and q, s are non-zero.Then p/q + r/s = ps/qs + qr/qs = (ps + qr)/qs. Since p, q, r, s are integers, then ps and qr are integers, and therefore (ps + qr) is an integer. q and s are non-zero integers and so qs is a non-zero integer. Consequently, (ps + qr)/qs is a ratio of two integers in which the denominator is non-zero. That is, the sum is rational.
Why are rational numbers closed under addition?
Suppose x and y are rational numbers.That is, x = p/q and y = r/s where p, q, r and s are integers and q, s are non-zero.Then x + y = ps/qs + qr/qs = (ps + qr)/qsThe set of integers is closed under multiplication so ps, qr and qs are integers;then, since the set of integers is closed addition, ps + qr is an integer;and q, s are non-zero so qs is not zero.So x + y can be represented by a ratio of two integers, ps + qr and qs where the latter is non-zero.
Why is the difference between two rational numbers always a rational number?
Suppose x and y are two rational numbers. Therefore x = p/q and y = r/s where p, q, r and s are integers and q and s are not zero.Then x - y = p/q - r/s = ps/qs - qr/qs = (ps - qr)/qsBy the closure of the set of integers under multiplication, ps, qr and qs are all integers,by the closure of the set of integers under subtraction, (ps - qr) is an integer,and by the multiplicative properties of 0, qs is non zero.Therefore (ps - qr)/qs satisfies the requirements of a rational number.
What actors and actresses appeared in Ps and Qs - 1992?
The cast of Ps and Qs - 1992 includes: Lesley Joseph as Herself - Host Jonathan Meades as Himself - Host Miles Richardson Tony Slattery as Himself - Host
Why is the sum or product of two rational numbers rational?
Suppose p/q and r/s are rational numbers where p, q, r and s are integers and q, s are non-zero.Then p/q + r/s = ps/qs + qr/qs = (ps + qr)/qs.Since p, q, r, s are integers, then ps and qr are integers, and therefore (ps + qr) is an integer.q and s are non-zero integers and so qs is a non-zero integer.Consequently, (ps + qr)/qs is a ratio of two integers in which the denominator is non-zero. That is, the sum is rational.Also p/q * r/s = pr/qs.Since p, q, r, s are integers, then pr and qs are integers.q and s are non-zero integers so qs is a non-zero integer.Consequently, pr/qs is a ratio of two integers in which the denominator is non-zero. That is, the sum is rational.
What does qs mean in typing?
Quad Strike or Quick Strike. (QS)
