What are p's and q's?

Question:ok - so i've always heard the phrase - "mind your p's and q's" - i heard it agian today somewhere -

anyone know where it comes from, or what it means?

Answers:
Nowadays a term meaning "Be on your best behavior." In old days, Sailors Serving aboard government ships could always get credit at the waterfront taverns until pay-day. As they would only pay for those drinks which were marked up on the score-board, the tavern-keeper had to be careful that no Pints or Quarts had been omitted from the customers list.
i am soooo forget full i just forgot,well better luck.
How many damn people are going to ask this question.
back in the old days when people would go to a bar they could order beer in a pint or a quart. when the men in the bar started to get rowdy and the bartender feared a fight he would say to the patrons "mind you're p's and q's" which was short for "mind your pints and quarts". so in other words it just means drink your beer and be quiet!
From an old printer's axiom. Back in the early days of printing presses, each line of text had to be set up one letter at a time. Since the letters in the press were reversed (so they'd print forward), the printmaker (or typographer) needed to be careful not to confuse one letter for the other.
Reminding someone to "watch his p's and q's" means to pay attention to the details.
they stand for Parmesan and Quarters. People were really weird back in the day.
Probably the same place where "dot your i's & cross your t's" comes from:

Pay attention to what you're doing, & finish what you start- not that I can do that consistently.....
You know p's and q's! DUH!
No i have no idea. I'm guessing Parents and Quota's lol. Pepperoni and Quail. Pittseburg and Qu ..I got nothin.
who knows, BUT... i have asked some people this question before and i heard that it is mind your "pleases and thank-you's)
maybe??
Printers used to have to be able to "read type", that is to read the mirror-image letters they kept in the upper case (capital letters) and the lower case (small letters). The most difficult letters to read were b, d, p and q, because they were so similar. This almost certainly brought us the phrase "Mind your Ps and Qs", although it has also been suggested that it comes from an admonishment to new church sextons: "Mind your keys and pews"; and to new barmen: "mind your pints and quarts".
Obey the rules in what your parents point out to you.
i always thought it came from "please" (p's) and "thank you" (the last part "kyou" sounds like q)...

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