Ps'n'Qs

Typeset plate ready for printing (courtesy of Pixabay)
By pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
Derry, Northern Ireland
September 17, 2015 2:11pm CST
Someone asked me about the expression "mind your ps and qs" at dinnertime today... and I responded that I thought it was from "Mind your Pleases and your Thank Yous (Qs)". Seems I was wrong - the phrase comes from the days of typesetting, where the guy at the plate in the printing room had to select letters from boxes and lock them into the platten for printing. It was so easy to pick up a p instead of a q, as the day was spent working with mirror-images of each letter. You learn a new thing every day...
13 people like this
14 responses
Gus Kilthau
@Ceerios (4698)
• Goodfellow, Texas
24 Sep 15
Howdy @pgnTwo - As to having to watch those p's and q's, you also had to be very wary of your esses and effs - to wit -( ? and f ) as well as your bees (B's) and double esses ( ß ). Yes - I AM getting kinda old, aren't I?
2 people like this
Gus Kilthau
@Ceerios (4698)
• Goodfellow, Texas
24 Sep 15
@pgntwo - Doggone it. There you go, blowing smoke again.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
24 Sep 15
@Ceerios But not under laboratory conditions... Now where'd I leave that white coat with the sleeves at the back...?
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
24 Sep 15
It's all about V and W this week: VW.
1 person likes this
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (14802)
• Ireland
17 Sep 15
In a bygone age I used to clean the type blocks in the Belfast Telegraph after they'd been inked. I also ran messages and got everybody's tea.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
17 Sep 15
And did they tell you about the ps and qs? I learned about the ps and qs at the old-world print shop in the Ulster-American folk park near Omagh!
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (14802)
• Ireland
17 Sep 15
@pgntwo Never heard about the ps and qs there. Just got guldered at for being too slow.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
20 Sep 15
@xFiacre A quare word, guldered.
Always smiling
@allknowing (153544)
• India
22 Nov 15
But then who would be using this expression not that we are in the digital world
1 person likes this
Always smiling
@allknowing (153544)
• India
22 Nov 15
@pgntwo There will be somewhere this would be recorded. The problem is who will do that search
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pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
22 Nov 15
Good question. I wonder if there is somewhere that records how often certain expressions are used?
Jabo
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
21 Nov 15
And it still makes sense 2 months later!
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
21 Nov 15
And so it does. Just couldn't resist your opening up the opportunity for additional exposure in t'other discussion thread
DE
@DaddyEvil (174336)
• United States
28 Nov 15
Huh! I had wondered where the expression had come from, but not enough to actually look it up myself... Thank you for the information. I appreciate that!
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
28 Nov 15
I heard this recounted at a local folk park by the guy operating the old-style printing press. A mine of useful information, that guy, he had been an apprenticed printer.
wetnosedogs
@wetnosedogs (1533)
• United States
17 Sep 15
Wow, I did learn something new today. Who'd have thought that phrase is that old.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
17 Sep 15
I think the expression is open to discussion, it probably comes from Latin and discussions in the Roman bath-house or somesuch. Hi!
1 person likes this
wetnosedogs
@wetnosedogs (1533)
• United States
17 Sep 15
@pgntwo , Still interesting. Hello
1 person likes this
AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
17 Sep 15
I always thought it meant be careful, or be right, or don't be a doofus. But then someone told me it meant Please and Thank you and that made sense so I stopped saying it as I was all wrong all that time. But... now it seems I wasn't wrong. I am so confused.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
17 Sep 15
Factoid, myth or urban legend? I wonder...
Arthur Chappell
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
21 Sep 15
interesting fact - always good to learn the origins of such expressions
1 person likes this
cmoneyspinner
@cmoneyspinner (9218)
• Austin, Texas
21 Sep 15
I don't know about every day. But for sure today I did learn something new! Although ... I rather like your interpretation better.
1 person likes this
Val
@valmnz (17095)
• New Zealand
17 Sep 15
Well, I've learned something here. I've lived a life time not knowing what this expression meant!
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
17 Sep 15
Every day's a learning day
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Jabo
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
17 Sep 15
Now that you tell us, it makes sense, Thank you for the info.
1 person likes this
GreatMartin
@GreatMartin (23670)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
20 Sep 15
Language is a fascinating subject that one can never tire of studying and/or just observing!
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
20 Sep 15
Language barriers?
Would we be worth aught were t'not for language?
Inlemay
@Inlemay (17712)
• South Africa
10 Oct 15
well that was an interesting fact to learn!!
1 person likes this
Fleur
@Fleura (34957)
• United Kingdom
26 Jul
I have learnt so many interesting things from MyLot, thank you!