Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,sci.lang,alt.usage.english
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!newsfeed.internetmci.com!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!kreme
From: kreme@netcom.com (Cerebus The Aardvark)
Subject: Re: Get Down to Brass Tacks [was: Re: Burning Houses for Nails]
Message-ID: <kremeDMv468.1IL@netcom.com>
Organization: Nyx, the spirit of the Night (telent nyx.cs.du.edu)
References: <4e90tp$82k@decaxp.harvard.edu> <dlawsonDLsqH9.Cuy@netcom.com> <4es0ol$2ie@nezsdc.fujitsu.co.nz> <4f3ved$2ic4@news.doit.wisc.edu> <4f6eog$ent@gazette.tandem.com> <kremeDMEFHI.969@netcom.com> <4filq8$bje@hermes.acs.unt.edu>
Distribution: inet
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 09:39:44 GMT
Lines: 28
Sender: kreme@netcom12.netcom.com

rmp0003@jove.acs.unt.edu (Rebecca Marie Peterson) writes:

>Cerebus The Aardvark (kreme@netcom.com) wrote:
>> Some others with obscure/unknow origns are:
>> "Mind your p's and q's."  My favorite orign story on this one was that 
>> it originated in pups, where the barman would keep track of people's 
>> tabs by marking the number of pints and quarts consumed.  However, no 
>> one has been able to verify this story, and it seems odd, given a pint 
>> is half a quart.  Why not measure just in pints?

>I realize you didn't say this was correct, just your favorite, so I'm not 
>correcting here, just mentioning the story that I've always been told to 
>be true.  "mind your p's and q's" supposedly dates back to when printing 
>presses were still new and set by hand. Because the p and q look just 
>alike, it was easy to mix them up and not realize, thus the apprentice or 
>whatever was often reminded to "mind your p's and q's". 

The oply trouble with this origin story is it doesn't explain how the
phrase came into genreal use.  Usually, phrases specific to a particular
profession stay within the profession.  It is very rare to see something
move into the general speech.  If it's origin is really from printing, why
did it get out?

-- 
Signatures follow:

Distribution of this message by Microsoft, its subsidiaries, or its
software shall constitute a violation of my copyrights.  Microsoft may
license copyrights to my messages, for distribution only, for the sum of
$1,000 US per week.
--
| kreme@cerebus.kreme.com   1015 South Gaylord, Denver, CO 80209 #100   |
|      WWW URL      \  <http://ftp.netcom.com/pub/kr/kreme/kreme.html>  |
| [303/722-2009] Vox \ Sometimes, after a lighting storm, I can see in  |
| [303/777-2911] Data \ five dimensions.  -- Cornfed Pigg               |
