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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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'mind your p's and q's'
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Phrase in use from at least the early 19C, meaning to pay attention and behave properly. It derives from advice given to apprentice printers, for the piece of type for 'p' looks to the eye like a 'q' (it becomes reversed in the printing). The phrase is often said to derive from handwriting, but only in a 20C hand can the two letters be confused; in *copperplate the vertical of the 'p' extended above and below the line.
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