baker's dozen
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May 21, 2025
The phrase baker's dozen arose from a piece of medieval legislation, the Assize of Bread and Ale of 1262.
Bakers of the period had a reputation for selling underweight loaves, so legislation was put in place to make standardized weights. To make sure that they did not sell underweight bread, bakers started to give an extra piece of bread away with every loaf, and a thirteenth loaf with every dozen. --medievalists.net
Bakers of the period had a reputation for selling underweight loaves, so legislation was put in place to make standardized weights. To make sure that they did not sell underweight bread, bakers started to give an extra piece of bread away with every loaf, and a thirteenth loaf with every dozen. --medievalists.net
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Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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