Ask Fake Dog #2: Ps, Qs, Google and the Lotto!
Written 1 December 2008, 13:56 by GearóidWelcome to the second edition of Ask Fake Dog, where we answer questions that Wikipedia can’t help you with. We have a few questions this time, so let’s get right to it.
Noel asks, “What does the ‘q’ in ‘Mind your Ps and Qs’ stand for? I assume the P means ‘please’.”
Well, Noel, the origin of this phrase is highly debated, and many people have many different stories about what it actually means. These days, it has its own meaning, and what the ‘P’ and ‘Q’ stand for has become largely irrelevant.
Having said that, it would still be nice to know how exactly the phrase came about. Many sources give different origins and so it’s hard to pinpoint a particular one. I will go through a few of the supposed origins here and let you decide for yourself!
The first story tells that the phrase finds its origins in advice to young children when they were learning how to write. A lowercase ‘p’ and ‘q’ are mirror images of each other (as long as the ‘q’ doesn’t have a tail), and so could be mixed up. This story continues with the idea that on early printing presses, each letter had to be set manually, and orientated the correct way. Because of this it would be easy to get a ‘p’ and ‘q’ mixed up. However, this could be more easily done with ‘b’ and ‘d’, and this is what sets this story back. It certainly seems likely, but I find the following origin more convincing.
The second story is one you may well have heard before, and it is the one I believed before looking into it for this article. It says that barmen, when keeping an eye on their customers’ drinking for the night, would warn them to “mind your pints and quarts” when they began to get drunk. While this story actually has little historical evidence to prove it, it still seems like a reasonable explanation.
The final origin I found is quite similar to the original in that it refers to children learning the alphabet. Last year, the Oxford English Dictionary researched its origins thoroughly and found several references to Ps and Qs which related to learning the alphabet. The earliest reference is in a poem by Charles Churchill, published in 1763, which goes as follows: “On all occasions next the chair / He stands for service of the Mayor, / And to instruct him how to use / His As and Bs, and Ps and Qs.” It seems the only reason P and Q were chosen is because there are adjacent in the alphabet and “Qs” rhymes with “use”.
So it’s up to you which of the three you believe to be the phrase’s true origin, be it confusion between lowercase p and q, men getting drunk in a bar, or children learning the alphabet. Be sure to leave a comment below!
For more supposed origins, see here and here!
Neil asks, “Is it true that they have fireman’s poles and slides in Google HQ?”
Indeed it is, Neil! Apparently there’s a rule that “no-one at Google is allowed to be more than 100 metres from food”! Take a look here!
Paul asks, “What happens if you win the lotto?”
The back of Lotto tickets hasn’t been changed in quite a while, and so a lot of the information is somewhat dated. The Lotto website has the most up-to-date information on it. What you do depends on what you win. For prizes up to Match 4 + Bonus (usually around €150), you can claim your prize at any shop that sells Lotto tickets. Some shops also pay out for everything up to the jackpot, but they’re only obliged to pay up to the 4 + Bonus. You can claim everything except the jackpot in a Post Office, because the National Lottery is actually run by An Post. For all these prizes, you can also post your ticket to the head offices in Dublin, which they emphasise “is at your own risk”, and really isn’t a good idea.
If you win the jackpot, you have to go the head offices on Abbey Street in Dublin, and there’s no other option. Their advice is that if you win, immediately sign the back of the ticket, and ring the Lotto offices to tell them you’ve won. This way, it’s going to be a lot harder for anyone to claim your prize if they rob the ticket. All the same, if you lose your ticket, you’re out of luck, because there’s no other way to get your prize. You have the choice to remain anonymous on claiming the jackpot, or you can have the big media thing if you want.
If you win the Euromillions, you claim it in the same way. However, if you buy a winning ticket in another country on holiday, then you have to travel back to that country to get your prize. A word of warning on that point, certainly!
That’s all for this edition of Ask Fake Dog. Coming next time, the origins of the Internet and more!
Be sure to ask your own question by leaving a comment, going on the message board, or on the contact page.
— Gearóid
Fascinating! I’d like to think it’s the thing about the bartender for the Ps and Qs…
— Dara · Dec 1, 02:14 PM · #
fast-forward to three weeks from now
Gearóid – ‘I can’t believe I failed my exams!’
— Claire · Dec 2, 10:23 AM · #
Good work. I don’t know we could ask questions.
— Stephen McGinley · Dec 2, 10:52 AM · #
Excellent, that’s a bit silly if you buy your euro millions ticket some where else. I will keep that piece of advice in mind.
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