P's and Q'sn.

Brit.

/ˌpiːz (ə)n(d) ˈkjuːz/, U.S.

/ˈpiz (ə)n(d) ˈkjuz/

Forms: 1600s p. and q. (with points), 1600s Pee and Kew, 1700s pees and cues, 1700s P–s and Q–s, 1700s– P's and Q's (also with lower-case initials), 1700s– Ps and Qs (also with lower-case initials), 1800s P and Q, 1800s peas and cues.

Origin: Of unknown origin.

Etymology: Origin unknown.The variant p. and q. (with points) in quot. 1607 at sense 1a suggests that the expression may perhaps have originated as a graphic abbreviation or was perceived as such at an early stage. A common suggestion is that the phrase referred originally to the difficulty which a child beginning to read has in distinguishing the lower-case letters p and q (or alternatively, the difficulty encountered by a typesetter, who will have to recognize these letters back to front); compare e.g. quot. 1763 at sense 3. However, the chronology of the senses would argue against this, and no such connotation is evident in the earliest quotations. Another suggestion is that the expression refers to a sailor's pea-coat and queue (tarred pig-tail), with the phrases in sense 1b referring originally to soiling the coat with the pigtail. The only indication of a connection with clothing is in sense 1a, where pee in quot. 1602 could conceivably refer to a sailor's pea-coat (see pee n.¹), though queue n. 4 is first attested significantly later, and the context in the quot. is not remotely nautical. The expression is unlikely to be a shortening of pleases and thank yous , since this is apparently not attested independently as a phrase before the 20th cent. There is no evidence to support a suggestion that expression originates in instructions for dance figures called in French pied and queue . Neither French word is attested in this sense. The suggestion that sense 1b referred originally to a landlord confusing pints and quarts (of beer) on a customer's account can be neither substantiated nor dismissed (compare pint n., quart n.²). In sense 2 sometimes interpreted as showing the initial letters of prime quality (see quot. 1876 at sense 2), although this would not account for the presence of the conjunction and , unless it were due to analogy with the expression at sense 1a.

a. to be on one's P's and Q's and variants: to be on one's best behaviour; to be at one's best, on top form; (U.S.) to be alert, to be ‘on one's toes’.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > care or heed [verb (intransitive)] > be careful of behaviour or words

to be on one's P's and Q's1607

to mind (also watch) one's P's and Q's1756

1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. E2^v Now thou art in thy Pee and Kue, thou hast such a villanous broad backe, that I warrant th'art able to beare away any mans iestes in England.]

1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe ii. i. sig. B4 ^v At her p. and q. neither Marchantes Daughter, Aldermans Wife, young countrey Gentlewoman, nor Courtiers Mistris, can match her.

1786 A. Hughes Zoriada I. 158 Who so proper to bring him to his p's and q's as the waiting woman of her he loves.

1815 Apollo's Choice ii. ii, in New Brit. Theatre IV. 208 I must be on my P's and Q's here, or I shall get my neck into a halter.

1829 W. Dimond Brother & Sister ii. i. 27 Ay, he was the crown of the jest—so grand and ceremonious—all upon his P's and Q's.

1893 W. A. Shee My Contemporaries vi. 149 In a well-dressed crowd you are in your p's and q's.

1941 in G. P. Rawick Amer. Slave (1972) XIX. ii. 129 This put me on my p's and q's. You know how a young fellow is when he is about to lose something. He gets more careful.

1989 Washington Post (Nexis) 25 Feb. b4 T.C. Williams is in the same posture of awareness as schools in our neighboring jurisdictions... We're on our Ps and Qs because there seem to be more weapons out in the community.

1999 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) (Nexis) 30 Dec. The young women were on their ‘Ps and Qs’ and courteous as they addressed their benefactors.

b. to mind (also watch) one's P's and Q's: to be careful or particular in one's words or behaviour; to mind one's manners.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > care or heed [verb (intransitive)] > be careful of behaviour or words

to be on one's P's and Q's1607

to mind (also watch) one's P's and Q's1756

1756 Life & Mem. E. T. Bates 83 Mind your P's and your Q's and always travel in the Autumn.

1776 T. Francklin Contract i. i. 14 I hear the rustling of silks, mind your p's and q's, Sir, don't forget your sighs and raptures now for heaven's sake.

1792 T. Holcroft Anna St. Ives III. li. 131 So do you tell her all a that I bid ee, and a mind your pees and cues.

a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) 266 ‘Mind your p's and q's’, q.d. ‘be nicely observant of your language and behaviour’.

1866 G. MacDonald Ann. Quiet Neighb. (1878) x. 181 Well, I thought it wasn't a time to mind ones peas and cues exactly.

1893 W. S. Gilbert Utopia (Limited) i He minds his P's and Q's,—And keeps himself respectable.

1923 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 15 Oct. 7/2 A representative in congress must watch his political Ps and Qs in the pursuit of his official duties.

1969 A. Bennett Forty Years On i. 44 You just mind your p's and q's, or I shall write and tell them about your gas-mask.

2000 Denver Post (Nexis) 30 Aug. f1 When it comes to navigating social settings, you always watch your p's and q's.

†2. to be P and Q: to be of the highest quality. Obsolete. rare (English regional (midlands) in later use).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [verb (intransitive)]

to be P and Q1612

to have everything1748

to hit the high spots1891

to be mustard1925

to be a box of birds1939

1612 S. Rowlands Knaue of Harts (Hunterian Club) 20 Bring in a quart of Maligo, right true: And looke, you Rogue, that it be Pee and Kew.

1876 T. M. Bound Hereford. & Shropshire Provinc. in Eng. Dial. Dict. at P To be P and Q, to be of prime quality.

3. one's P's and Q's: one's alphabet, one's ‘A.B.C.’; (in extended use) knowledge or judgement, ‘one's way about’. Also: good manners, etiquette (cf. sense 1).Connotations of good manners and correct behaviour are often present even when they are not explicitly referred to.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > system of writing > alphabet > [noun]

staff-rewOE

abecedariumOE

ABCc1325

alphabet?a1475

character1569

abecedary1596

one's P's and Q's1763

characteristic1769

staverow1866

1763 C. Churchill Poems iv. 351 On all occasions next the chair He stands for service of the Mayor, And to instruct him how to use His A's and B's, and P's and Q's.

?1804 ‘A. Pasquin’ Hamiltoniad ii. 45 I'd..Watch, when he wrote of Diplomatic news; And make him careless of his P's and Q's.

1825 J. C. Brainard Poems (1849) 143 Shrewd and inquisitive; they know their P's And Q's. They know to earn, and get, and save.

1885 Lake Shore (Dunkirk, N.Y.) Observer 4 Aug. Mamma is a woman who years ago learned her ps and qs, and she soon saw the student was stealing away her daughter's heart.

1901 A. Dobson Carmina Votiva 53 Maids of honour for his muse Quite forgot their ‘P's’ and ‘Q's’.

1925 Lima (Ohio) News 20 Sept. 21/4 Mr Lester..knows his social p's and q's.

1999 Evening Standard (Nexis) 4 May 12 Just to make sure the staff don't forget their ps and qs, Niki Lazarides will return soon to conduct a top-up course.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	ps and qs
释义	P's and Q'sn. Brit. /ˌpiːz (ə)n(d) ˈkjuːz/, U.S. /ˈpiz (ə)n(d) ˈkjuz/ Forms: 1600s p. and q. (with points), 1600s Pee and Kew, 1700s pees and cues, 1700s P–s and Q–s, 1700s– P's and Q's (also with lower-case initials), 1700s– Ps and Qs (also with lower-case initials), 1800s P and Q, 1800s peas and cues. Origin: Of unknown origin. Etymology: Origin unknown.The variant p. and q. (with points) in quot. 1607 at sense 1a suggests that the expression may perhaps have originated as a graphic abbreviation or was perceived as such at an early stage. A common suggestion is that the phrase referred originally to the difficulty which a child beginning to read has in distinguishing the lower-case letters p and q (or alternatively, the difficulty encountered by a typesetter, who will have to recognize these letters back to front); compare e.g. quot. 1763 at sense 3. However, the chronology of the senses would argue against this, and no such connotation is evident in the earliest quotations. Another suggestion is that the expression refers to a sailor's pea-coat and queue (tarred pig-tail), with the phrases in sense 1b referring originally to soiling the coat with the pigtail. The only indication of a connection with clothing is in sense 1a, where pee in quot. 1602 could conceivably refer to a sailor's pea-coat (see pee n.¹), though queue n. 4 is first attested significantly later, and the context in the quot. is not remotely nautical. The expression is unlikely to be a shortening of pleases and thank yous , since this is apparently not attested independently as a phrase before the 20th cent. There is no evidence to support a suggestion that expression originates in instructions for dance figures called in French pied and queue . Neither French word is attested in this sense. The suggestion that sense 1b referred originally to a landlord confusing pints and quarts (of beer) on a customer's account can be neither substantiated nor dismissed (compare pint n., quart n.²). In sense 2 sometimes interpreted as showing the initial letters of prime quality (see quot. 1876 at sense 2), although this would not account for the presence of the conjunction and , unless it were due to analogy with the expression at sense 1a. 1. a. to be on one's P's and Q's and variants: to be on one's best behaviour; to be at one's best, on top form; (U.S.) to be alert, to be ‘on one's toes’. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > care or heed [verb (intransitive)] > be careful of behaviour or words to be on one's P's and Q's1607 to mind (also watch) one's P's and Q's1756 1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. E2^v Now thou art in thy Pee and Kue, thou hast such a villanous broad backe, that I warrant th'art able to beare away any mans iestes in England.] 1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe ii. i. sig. B4 ^v At her p. and q. neither Marchantes Daughter, Aldermans Wife, young countrey Gentlewoman, nor Courtiers Mistris, can match her. 1786 A. Hughes Zoriada I. 158 Who so proper to bring him to his p's and q's as the waiting woman of her he loves. 1815 Apollo's Choice ii. ii, in New Brit. Theatre IV. 208 I must be on my P's and Q's here, or I shall get my neck into a halter. 1829 W. Dimond Brother & Sister ii. i. 27 Ay, he was the crown of the jest—so grand and ceremonious—all upon his P's and Q's. 1893 W. A. Shee My Contemporaries vi. 149 In a well-dressed crowd you are in your p's and q's. 1941 in G. P. Rawick Amer. Slave (1972) XIX. ii. 129 This put me on my p's and q's. You know how a young fellow is when he is about to lose something. He gets more careful. 1989 Washington Post (Nexis) 25 Feb. b4 T.C. Williams is in the same posture of awareness as schools in our neighboring jurisdictions... We're on our Ps and Qs because there seem to be more weapons out in the community. 1999 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) (Nexis) 30 Dec. The young women were on their ‘Ps and Qs’ and courteous as they addressed their benefactors. b. to mind (also watch) one's P's and Q's: to be careful or particular in one's words or behaviour; to mind one's manners. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > care or heed [verb (intransitive)] > be careful of behaviour or words to be on one's P's and Q's1607 to mind (also watch) one's P's and Q's1756 1756 Life & Mem. E. T. Bates 83 Mind your P's and your Q's and always travel in the Autumn. 1776 T. Francklin Contract i. i. 14 I hear the rustling of silks, mind your p's and q's, Sir, don't forget your sighs and raptures now for heaven's sake. 1792 T. Holcroft Anna St. Ives III. li. 131 So do you tell her all a that I bid ee, and a mind your pees and cues. a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) 266 ‘Mind your p's and q's’, q.d. ‘be nicely observant of your language and behaviour’. 1866 G. MacDonald Ann. Quiet Neighb. (1878) x. 181 Well, I thought it wasn't a time to mind ones peas and cues exactly. 1893 W. S. Gilbert Utopia (Limited) i He minds his P's and Q's,—And keeps himself respectable. 1923 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 15 Oct. 7/2 A representative in congress must watch his political Ps and Qs in the pursuit of his official duties. 1969 A. Bennett Forty Years On i. 44 You just mind your p's and q's, or I shall write and tell them about your gas-mask. 2000 Denver Post (Nexis) 30 Aug. f1 When it comes to navigating social settings, you always watch your p's and q's. †2. to be P and Q: to be of the highest quality. Obsolete. rare (English regional (midlands) in later use). ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [verb (intransitive)] to be P and Q1612 to have everything1748 to hit the high spots1891 to be mustard1925 to be a box of birds1939 1612 S. Rowlands Knaue of Harts (Hunterian Club) 20 Bring in a quart of Maligo, right true: And looke, you Rogue, that it be Pee and Kew. 1876 T. M. Bound Hereford. & Shropshire Provinc. in Eng. Dial. Dict. at P To be P and Q, to be of prime quality. 3. one's P's and Q's: one's alphabet, one's ‘A.B.C.’; (in extended use) knowledge or judgement, ‘one's way about’. Also: good manners, etiquette (cf. sense 1).Connotations of good manners and correct behaviour are often present even when they are not explicitly referred to. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > system of writing > alphabet > [noun] staff-rewOE abecedariumOE ABCc1325 alphabet?a1475 character1569 abecedary1596 one's P's and Q's1763 characteristic1769 staverow1866 1763 C. Churchill Poems iv. 351 On all occasions next the chair He stands for service of the Mayor, And to instruct him how to use His A's and B's, and P's and Q's. ?1804 ‘A. Pasquin’ Hamiltoniad ii. 45 I'd..Watch, when he wrote of Diplomatic news; And make him careless of his P's and Q's. 1825 J. C. Brainard Poems (1849) 143 Shrewd and inquisitive; they know their P's And Q's. They know to earn, and get, and save. 1885 Lake Shore (Dunkirk, N.Y.) Observer 4 Aug. Mamma is a woman who years ago learned her ps and qs, and she soon saw the student was stealing away her daughter's heart. 1901 A. Dobson Carmina Votiva 53 Maids of honour for his muse Quite forgot their ‘P's’ and ‘Q's’. 1925 Lima (Ohio) News 20 Sept. 21/4 Mr Lester..knows his social p's and q's. 1999 Evening Standard (Nexis) 4 May 12 Just to make sure the staff don't forget their ps and qs, Niki Lazarides will return soon to conduct a top-up course. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1607
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