baker’s dozen
noun phrase

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.

Collins Dictionary

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ORIGIN

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.

England has a long history of regulation of trade; bakers were regulated by a trade guild called The Worshipful Company of Bakers, which dates back to at least the reign of Henry II (1154-89).

Henry III revived an ancient statute that regulated the price of bread according to the price of wheat. Bakers or brewers who gave short measure could be fined or beaten.

BTW, the English word dozen comes from French douzaine, which in turn comes from Latin duodecim: “two plus ten”. 

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DOZEN IDIOMS

- cheaper by the dozen = costing less when bought in quantity

- daily dozen = a short set of daily physical exercises, performed in sets of 12

- to talk nineteen to the dozen = to talk endlessly or at great speed (the fast talker says nineteen words for every twelve that a person speaking at normal speed would say)

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