Where does the expression "mind your P's and Q's" come from? Does it mean politeness and quietness? Also, I recently came across the phrase "a labor organizer traveling on the q.t." What does q I enjoy your column, but you made a mistake in suggesting that Marion E.'s explanation of the origin of "out of sorts" was wacko.
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www.straightdope.com/columns/read/761/whats-the-origin-...
www.straightdope.com/columns/read/761/whats-the-origin-of-the-expression-mind-your-ps-and-qs
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Mind Your P's & Q's As to where "mind your P's and Q's," meaning "be very careful" or "behave yourself" came from, I'm afraid that there is no clear answer, though folks have been saying it since the late 1700's. The consolation is that there are a number of fascinating theories, so you can pretty much take your pick...
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www.word-detective.com/back-f.html
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Mind your ps and qs - the meaning and origin of this phrase. - P and q stands for "prime quality." There is, or rather was as this now seems to have also been withdrawn, a 1612 citation which links PQ with 'prime quality'. If that's the origin why isn't the phrase mind your PQ?
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www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/248000.html
www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/248000.html
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Dec 10, 2003 Several possible origins of "mind your Ps and Qs" have been proposed on this forum. Do you have some reliable documentation to back up this...
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www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/26/messages/1070.html
www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/26/messages/1070.html
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Gβ inhibition of P/Q-type channels was reconstituted in giant inside-out membrane patches from Xenopus oocytes. Large populations of channels devoid of Cavβ were produced by washing out a mutant Cavβ with a reduced affinity for the AID.
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www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/52/14176
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Feb 2, 2008 The idiom in English 'mind your Ps and Qs' is puzzling, as there is no very obvious origin for it. The puzzle is investigated.
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www.worldwidewords.org/articles/psandqs.htm
www.worldwidewords.org/articles/psandqs.htm
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One origin story of "mind your Ps and Qs" comes from English pubs and taverns of the seventeenth century.
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_your_Ps_and_Qs
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_your_Ps_and_Qs
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Automatic download; [Begin manual download] Downloading the PDF version of:; J. Neurosci. Zhang et al. 28 (52): 14176. (942K) This file is in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. If you have not installed and configured the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system, see Help with Printing for instructions.
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www.jneurosci.org/cgi/reprint/28/52/14176
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A quick, fun-to-read collection of the origins of terms and some of the sayings even go back to ancient times. Links to other pages devoted to English usag Joe wrote: The best explanation of "minding your P's & Q's" I've heard came from the fact that the barkeep would keep track of how much you drank on a chalk board.
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www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/sayings.htm
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