Learn to Be Careful with the Alphabet — VOA Learning English
Topics: суспільство
Beginning
And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
Today we talk about two expressions involving letters of the alphabet. They both warn us to be careful, and they sound similar. But their meanings are very different.
Here is the first one: to watch our p’s and q’s.
When we watch our p’s and q’s, we are on our best behavior. We are careful of our language too – so, no swearing. We do things politely and without causing trouble to others.
The expression is something an older person might say to children. “When you go to school, watch your p’s and q’s and mind your teachers.”
There are several stories about how the expression began.
Some word experts say it comes from people drinking in…
Tap any word for its translation at once; the word goes into your deck together with its sentence.