Another metrication for the sake of metrication to avoid imperial measures.
"mind your Ps and Qs" was often shouted in British pubs on the onset of a
fight. It was an instruction for people to lift their drink containers to
keep them safe from being knocked over - literally "Mind your Pints and
Quarts" (Quarts were sold in pubs as well as pints - probably with a head of
foam;-))
Another saying "Wet your whistle" was used in old pubs when a customer would
use a whistle to attract the inn keeper to pour him another pint or quart.
From: Pat Naughtin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Subject: [USMA:35898] RE: NEW Yard (yd') or Metre New (m') and decimal time
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 18:25:05 +1100
On 28/01/06 10:22 AM, "Phil Chernack" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> And as you all know, we should all mind our p¹s and q¹s. Or is it 473
ml and
> 946 ml? J
>
Dear Phil,
As a matter of interest, I think that the expression 'to mind your p's and
q's' arose in the typesetting trade where p's and q's could be readily
confused when they were a sort of mirror image of each other in the
typesetter's inverse box of letters.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216
Geelong, Australia
61 3 5241 2008
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.metricationmatters.com
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