p's and q's
correct manners or behaviour
TRANSLATION
to mind one's p's and q's = sich sehr in acht nehmen
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"After being appointed the youngest ever foreign ambassador, Stephen had to watch his p's and q's during the first reception at Buckingham Palace."
Did you
know?
p's and q's
1. Socially correct behavior; manners.
2. The way one acts; conduct
Your p's and q's are something that you should be mindful of. It can be manners or behavior, but when you're "minding your p's and q's" you are being careful to be at your very best.
There are many explanations of the origins of p's and q's:
- that it is derived from the phrase "mind one's p's and q's" referring to an 18th century school song about the difficulty children had learning to write the very similar "p" and "q"
- that typesetters (Schriftsetzer) had a problem distinguishing between the two letters because they had to look at the letters backwards
The most plausible explanation is the one given in the latest edition of Collins English Dictionary: an alteration of "Mind your 'please's and 'thank you's".
1. Socially correct behavior; manners.
2. The way one acts; conduct
Your p's and q's are something that you should be mindful of. It can be manners or behavior, but when you're "minding your p's and q's" you are being careful to be at your very best.
There are many explanations of the origins of p's and q's:
- that it is derived from the phrase "mind one's p's and q's" referring to an 18th century school song about the difficulty children had learning to write the very similar "p" and "q"
- that typesetters (Schriftsetzer) had a problem distinguishing between the two letters because they had to look at the letters backwards
The most plausible explanation is the one given in the latest edition of Collins English Dictionary: an alteration of "Mind your 'please's and 'thank you's".
