To avoid punishment and the public humiliation that went with it, bakers began giving customers 13 pieces of bread when they only wanted and paid for a dozen, or twelve.
The thirteenth piece, hence, became known as the baker’s dozen, meaning something extra, something thrown in, something thrown in for good measure, that is.
The bakers of yore gave 13 as a cautionary measure, only to make sure that the bread wasn’t underweight lest they get caught shorting customers and get punished in consequence.
Today, the practice of giving 13 if you want 12 is no longer seen anywhere but the practice of giving customers a little extra as a good will gesture remains. In the marketplace anywhere in China, for example, it is commonplace to observe a vendor, after weighing, say, a bag of peanuts, grab a handful more and throw them into the bag for good measure as a good will gesture, hoping the customer will henceforth patronize his stand or stall a little bit more often and do so gladly and willingly.
Or it is common for a vendor to shout out loud something like this: “Buy one, get one; But five, get six.” That way, sales increase and the vendor may be able to sell out soon and gets to go home early.
It’s not dissimilar to getting a merchandize at whole-sale price if you will, if, that is, you buy something at a large enough quantity.
Well, that is that, a baker’s dozen, an idiom that’s old and British in origin meaning not the usual 12 but instead 13 (or on the rare occasion, 14).
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