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NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Minding your p's and q's 
Name: Paul C.
Status: other
Age: 50s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 12/10/2002
Question:
What is the meaning and origin of "p's and q's"?

Replies:
When type was set by hand, these lower case (as in lower printing case) letters are mirror images of each other. The expression was reminding you to be careful not to switch them. b and d are another such pair, but are separated by the c bin.

Nathan A. Unterman


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