Why does a baker's dozen have 13 but a regular dozen only has 12?

Answer 1

If they could count, they would have become CPAs instead of bakers.

Answer 2

The oldest known source and most probable origin for the expression "bakers dozen" dates to the 13th century in one of the earliest English statutes, instituted during the reign of Henry III (r. 1216-1272), called the Assize of Bread and Ale. Bakers who were found to have short-changed customers could be liable to severe punishment. To guard against the crude punishment of losing a hand to an axe, a baker would give 13 for the price of 12, to be certain of not being known as a cheat. Specifically, the practice of baking 13 items for an intended dozen was to prevent "short measure", on the basis that one of the 13 could be lost, eaten, burnt or ruined in some way, leaving the baker with the original dozen. The practice could be seen in the guild codes of the Worshipful Company of Bakers in London.

Answer 3

Baker's Dozen:

A group of 13; a dozen plus one: from the former practice among bakers and other tradespeople of giving 13 items to the dozen as a safeguard against penalties for short weights and measures.

Answer 4

The first theory goes back to ancient times. Bakers were widely viewed with suspicion, since it was common (and easy) for them to short-weight customers. Many societies had severe penalties for bakers who engaged in such underhanded practices. For instance, one source says that in ancient Egypt, the baker's ear was nailed to the doorpost of his bakery if he were found selling light loaves. (I'm not sure whether the ear was still attached to the baker. Either way it was a pretty stiff punishment.)

Under the code of Hammurabi, a loaf of bread and a man's hand were interchangeable. They took their bread seriously back then.

In the mid-13th century, British law imposed strict regulations on bakers regarding the weight of bread. Bakers wanted to make sure they complied, since the penalties were severe (a fine or the pillory, although nothing involving ears, so far as I know). It was difficult to make loaves of uniform weight in those days before automation, so bakers added a 13th loaf to every shipment of 12--better to be overweight than under. Thus "a baker's dozen" meant 13.

The second theory is more complicated. A baker selling to a third party (a street vendor, say) would add a 13th loaf as the profit for the middleman. That is, the baker sells the middleman 13 loaves for the price of 12, and the middle man sells the 13 individual loaves for a 7.7% profit.

Whichever theory you accept, the evolution of the expression today has come to mean that the baker adds an extra cookie, bun, pastry or whatever to the order of 12 as a bonus.

By the way, the word "baker" itself, meaning one who bakes (duh), dates from around the year 1000. A variant is bakester, which survives in the surname Baxter. As Cecil has pointed out, some think -ster is a female ending and that a bakester or baxter was originally a female baker, just as there were websters (female weavers) and spinsters (female thread spinners). But those acquainted with many gangsters, mobsters, or teamsters (not saying these three terms are in any way related) may have their doubts.

Answer 5

Baker's Dozen a primary dozen is twelve, yet a baker's dozen is 13. Years in the past in England there have been strict effects for people who gave short weight. in this era Bakers have been many times no longer knowledgeable and poor counters. as a thank you to steer clear of any effects, the bakers could supply 13 as a replace of 12 or a dozen, basically in case they miscalculated.

Answer 6

Because the baker would give you an extra one if you bought twelve... kind of a bonus.... because the butcher and the candlestick maker were cheap bastards and unwilling to give that little extra everyone loved the baker more. So instead of saying the unlucky number 13, people began to refer to 13 as a bakers dozen because the baker was a symbol of all that was good and wholesome in the world, and 13 was an evil number.

I dunno, really... but I do like to make up stories.

Answer 7

Bakers often toss in an extra item for each dozen bought, making a total of 13. This custom is very old, dating at least from the thirteenth century, when the weights and prices of loaves of bread were strictly regulated by royal proclamations called assizes, and bakers could be jailed if they failed to provide fair weight at the listed prices.

Answer 8

the reason is because in old times a bakera would count bread by weight before cooked and a dozen would be a certain weight. so when bread is cooked it becomes fluffier and lighter and to make sure the customer didnt get mad the baker would throw in one extra. therefore making 13 or a bakers dozen.

Answer 9

A Baker's Dozen refers to the one extra as being a "day old" one. The baker doesn't want to throw it out, so he gives it away. Better to have someone enjoy it than to waste it!

Answer 10

In France at one time if a baker sold 11 as a dozen, he was fined; so they put an extra one in to be sure.

Answer 11

Because being the baker, they have to sample one of them and if they only make 12 and eat one, then it wouldn't be a dozen.