The phrase, mind your p's and q's appears to have originated from early printing presses. The phrase is used when asking someone to be on their best behavior or to be careful of their language. It would be an appropriate phrase to use when a bunch of college girls head out on their first road trip.
The printing press was invented by German Johannes Gutenberg in 1440. Printers placed individual letters on a typeset to print a page of text. The letters were laid out in a reversed fashion, making it easy to mistake lowercase p's and q's when setting the type. The phrase was also often used when teaching children how to write, however it is interesting that you never hear anyone say, mind your b's and d's or mind your w's and m's?
There is another suggested origin that comes from English pubs and taverns of the seventeenth century. Bartenders would keep a watch on the alcohol consumption of the patrons, keeping an eye of the pints and quarts they were drinking. So again, I thought this was a good phrase for Colloquial Thursday.
Be safe and . . .
Mind your p's and q's,
Dad
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