p's and q's

American  

noun

1. manners; behavior; conduct (usually preceded by mind orwatch ).

   The children were told to mind their p's and q's.

---

p's and q's British  

plural noun

1. behaviour within social conventions; manners (esp in the phrase to mind one's p's and q's )

---

Etymology

Origin of p's and q's

First recorded in 1770–80; perhaps from some children's difficulty in distinguishing the two letters

Example Sentences

This was another example of Penelope’s optimism, for the two younger Incorrigibles were sloppy printers at best; Cassiopeia struggled mightily with the spelling of her own name, and even Alexander was prone to mixing up his p’s and q’s.

From Literature

Viewed this way, minding our p’s and q’s is less about proscriptive notions of correctness, and more about mindfulness, self-discovery and proper conduct.

From Seattle Times

“I was like, ‘This is going to be a 10-minute phone call, check my background, P’s and Q’s, whatever,’” UW director of social media Hadley Heck recalls of her job interview last summer.

From Seattle Times

“The last thing a head coach wants to do is talk to a social media candidate over the phone on a Saturday in July when he’s off. I was like, ‘This is going to be a 10-minute phone call, check my background, P’s and Q’s, whatever.’

From Seattle Times

“I have to watch my p’s and q’s. But God has supplied all my needs and I’m not complaining,” said Huffman, who will spend much of the season volunteering at food and clothing banks in her hometown of Greenville, Ohio.

From Seattle Times