Mind your Ps and Qs
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Be careful about your manners, conduct, or details; behave properly and avoid mistakes.
Origin
The complete phrase is in print by 1756 and clearly referred to proper conduct, but what the letters originally represented is not certain. The strongest evidence points to the easily confused lowercase letters p and q in lessons on reading and writing. Popular explanations involving printers' type, publicans' records of pints and quarts, or French dance steps lack early supporting examples. The apostrophes in p's and q's are conventional when naming individual letters, though modern styles sometimes omit them.
Research Sources
Variants
- Mind your p's and q's
- Watch your p's and q's
Usage Examples
- Mind your Ps and Qs while the auditors are reviewing the accounts.
- He minded his p's and q's throughout the formal dinner.
- The new apprentice works carefully and always watches her p's and q's.