Comments on: Fact! http://www.thebrits.com/fact/ Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:59:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Elaine Saunders http://www.thebrits.com/fact/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Elaine Saunders Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:10:00 +0000 http://thebrits.com/blog/?p=337#comment-8 Whilst writing my book about pub history I discovered that “Mind your Ps and Qs” might also be another kind of warning. When landlords chalked pints and quarts up “on the slate” they weren’t averse to adding a few extra marks. It’s therefore a warning to customers to watch the bill. Instead of chalking up on the slate, London Market porters had their drinks marked on a strip of leather or tab, hence “running a tab”. It’s also said to give us the expression “strapped for cash” Elaine Saunders Author: A Book About Pub Names <a href="http://www.book-about.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">It’s A Book About….blog</a> Whilst writing my book about pub history I discovered that “Mind your Ps and Qs” might also be another kind of warning. When landlords chalked pints and quarts up “on the slate” they weren’t averse to adding a few extra marks. It’s therefore a warning to customers to watch the bill.

Instead of chalking up on the slate, London Market porters had their drinks marked on a strip of leather or tab, hence “running a tab”. It’s also said to give us the expression “strapped for cash”

Elaine Saunders
Author: A Book About Pub Names
It’s A Book About….blog

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