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Learn the origin and meaning of the expression "a baker's dozen", which means 13 instead of 12. Find out how medieval English laws and bakers' fears of punishment influenced this custom.
- Alison Eldridge
A baker’s dozen is 13 (or, more rarely, 14). What's the origin of the phrase 'Baker's dozen'? It’s widely believed that this phrase originated from the practice of medieval English bakers giving an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling short weight.
Dec 8, 2021 · A baker's dozen is 13 of anything, not 12, and it dates back to medieval England, where bakers added an extra loaf to avoid punishment. Learn more about the history and usage of this phrase, and see some recipes for baker's dozen doughnuts.
- Overview
- Know why a baker's dozen is thirteen and not twelve
- Transcript
Know why a baker's dozen is thirteen and not twelve
Learn why a baker's dozen means thirteen items.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
•Know why a baker's dozen is thirteen and not twelve
•Know why a baker's dozen is thirteen and not twelve
There are twelve to a dozen, that’s what most of us learn in grade school. Twelve has been an important number across many civilizations for thousands of years. It’s a highly composite number — it can be evenly divided by a lot of smaller numbers. Twelve is easy to divide up into twos, threes, fours, or sixes.
This easy divisibility makes twelve a good number for measurement. Twelve inches to a foot. Twelve months in a year. Two times twelve hours in a day, and five times twelve minutes in an hour and seconds in a minute. It’s no wonder that we so often buy by the dozen or half-dozen. But what’s called a “baker’s dozen” is actually thirteen.
So what’s the deal with bakers? If a baker’s dozen is thirteen, that’s way less useful. Thirteen is a prime number, it barely divides at all. What’s the point? What do bakers know that we don’t?
Today, this isn’t very common. Generally when you order a dozen donuts, you’ll get the expected twelve. But some bakers will still include an extra bun with an order as a nod to tradition, or just as a savvy customer service move.
In the past, keeping your customers happy wasn’t just good for business — it was good for your health.
There are a few theories as to how a baker’s dozen became thirteen. But the most widely accepted is that bakers would throw an extra loaf into orders of a dozen to avoid a flogging.
- 3 min
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Sep 15, 2023 · Learn the idiom "a baker's dozen" that means 13 of something, usually baked goods, and its historical and cultural background. See examples, synonyms, and frequently asked questions about this phrase.
Jul 31, 2023 · A baker's dozen is a 13-count of baked goods or any group of 13 items. It originated from a medieval law in England that required bakers to add an extra loaf to avoid underweight and customer complaints.
Jun 11, 2024 · What is a baker’s dozen, and why does it equal 13? Here's the story behind why bakers give out an extra roll—a tradition from medieval times that lives on in our modern world.
