p’s and q’s n.pl. Idiom. mind or watch one’s p’s and q’s, to pay careful attention to one’s own behavior or affairs; be cautious or discreet. [1770?80; perhaps from some children’s difficulty in distinguishing the two letters] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
p’s and q’s
p’s and q’spl.n.1. Socially correct behavior; manners.2. The way one acts; conduct: was told to watch his p’s and q’s.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.p’s and q’s pl n (Sociology) behaviour within social conventions; manners (esp in the phrase to mind one’s p’s and q’s) [altered from p(lea)se and (than)k-you’s]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014p’s and q’s n.pl. Idiom. mind or watch one’s p’s and q’s, to pay careful attention to one’s own behavior or affairs; be cautious or discreet. [1770?80; perhaps from some children’s difficulty in distinguishing the two letters] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.