P's and Q's or Ps and Qs and why?

[BumperliciousAteTooManyEggs]

Just been on another thread and I posted "Ps and Qs" and another poster "P's and Q's". The latter looks right but I don't know why, can anyone explain?

[StripeyMama]

Ps and Qs.

Cos its a plural. P's and Q's would mean 'belonging to P and Q'

I think...

[donnie]

plurals do NOT have apostrophes so therefore Ps and Qs is correct.

[Saggarmakersbottomknocker]

Ps and Qs. Plural.

[Wisteria]

Well it means pleases and thank yous doesn't it?

so technically it should be P's and 'Q's (possibly) - I doubt whether there is a right or wrong answer.

[pruners]

Message withdrawn

[Wisteria]

but you are also missing letters which generally denotes an apostrophe doesn't it?

eg - isn't

[Wheelybug]

I was going to say with - for the reasons wisteria says, parts of the words are missing so you'd (like in the example of you'd) expect an apostrophe....

But might not be ....

[anorak]

Yes it's def Ps and Qs. It's a common mistake just like 1940's instead of 1940s, but without apostrophe is correct, because it is a plural.

[BumperliciousAteTooManyEggs]

Hmmm, no consensus, I thought there would be a right or wrong answer...

[Wisteria]

It's an abbreviation though........still slang technically though so not 'right' either way

[BumperliciousAteTooManyEggs]

Anorak surely that is true if you are saying "in the 1940s" but not if you are saying a "1940's tea dress"?

[Wisteria]

yes quite but shouldn't it be traditional rules of grammar

[Wisteria]

yes.........and not for the first time

[FarCanal]

Wiki is a bit like the Encyclopedia Galactica... it contains much that is apocryphal or wildly innacurate!