Tag Archive for ale

Minding your Ps and Qs in a Bar

May 15, 2017 6 comments

My regular readers know that I like to pass on some American trivia from time to time, especially as it relates to language.  Today is one of those days.

We older people still use this expression, and younger people have heard it: “Mind your Ps and Qs.”  Fact is, it all started in a bar.

In the olden days, a barmaid was supposed to remember what size ale her patrons normally drank, either Pints or Quarts.  In other words, she had to pay close attention to–mind–her Ps and Qs.

Now there’s a bit of American trivia you can work into any conversation…if you’re in a bar.

Image result for mug of beer picture

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Tuesday Trivia

December 6, 2016 Comments Off on Tuesday Trivia

Let’s lighten up a bit today.  Here’s a bit of trivia that you can work into, well, almost no conversation.  It might be useful in a bar…or not.  I found it interesting, though.  Here you are:

Politicians have been with us since the beginning of time, but not phones, TVs, radios, social media, or ways to take polls.  However, they needed to know which way the public wind was blowing so they could form and adjust their campaigns (and policies?  Naw…they wouldn’t do that!).  Their answer was to send supporters to the local bars, taverns, and pubs, telling them to “go sip some ale and find out what people are thinking.”  These supporters were sent out to different locations at different times.  They were instructed to “go sip here” and “go sip there.”  Eventually, the first two words became combined when discussing local opinion.  And now we have the word “gossip.”

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