Language: en
Meaning: (idiomatic)Thirteen; agroupof thirteen.[from 1590s]1696,William Nicholls, “The Preface to the Reader”, inA Conference with a Theist. Wherein I. Are Shewn the Absurdities in the Pretended Eternity of the World. II. The Difficulties in the Mosaick Creation are Cleared. III. The Lapse of Mankind is Defended, against the Objections of Archæologiæ Philosophicæ, The Oracles of Reason, &c., London: Printed byT[homas] W[arren] for Francis Saunders at the Blue-Anchor in the New-Exchange; and Tho[mas] Bennet at the Half-Moon inSt. Paul's Church-Yard,→OCLC:[L]et him caſt his Eye upon the laſt Page of that Book, where Mr.Blounthas tranſlated a Quotation out ofScaliger de Emend.brought by the Author of thePræadamitæ; now he tranſlatesOctingenties octagies, not eight hundred and eighty, buteight hundred and eightſcore; as if the Romans had uſed to reckon by ſcores. He might altogether as well, have made them number byBakers-Dozens.[1702,[Abel] Boyer, “A Baker’s Dozen”, inDictionnaire Royal, François et Anglois. Le Francois Tiré des Dictionnaires de Richelet, Furetiere, Tachard, de l’Academie Françoise, & des Remarques de Vaugelas, Menage & Bouhours. Divisé en Deux Parties[Royal Dictionary, French and English. The French Taken from the Dictionaries of Richelet, Furetiere, Tachard, the French Academy, & the Remarks of Vaugelas, Menage & Bouhours. Divided into Two Parts], volume I, The Hague: Chez Adrian Moetjens, Marchand Libraire près la Cour, à la Librairie Françoise,→OCLC:ABaker's Dozen,Treize dans la Douzaine.]1787August, “Irregular Ode on His Majesty’s Birth Day”, inThe Gentleman’s and London Magazine: Or, Monthly Chronologer, Dublin: Printed by John Exshaw,→OCLC,page439, column 2:What! though by accident we've loſt / Of provinces abaker's dozen; / More bleſſings has our King produc'd, / By our good Queen his German couſin—1808December, “Art. V.Poems, byMary Leadbeater, (late Shackleton,) to which is Prefixed Her Translation of the 13th Book of the Æneid; with the Latin Original, Written in the 15th Century, by Maffæus. 8vo. pp. 419. 8s. Boards. Dublin, Keene; London, Longman and Co. &c. 1808.”, inThe Monthly Review; or Literary Journal, Enlarged, volume LVII, London: Sold by T[homas] Becket, bookseller, inPall Mall,→OCLC,page372:Maffæus [Maffeo Vegio] seems to have thought that the liberal mind ofVirgilcould never have been satisfied with giving his readers less than abaker's dozenfor their money, and therefore he added a thirteenth to the numbers of the Æneid, such as he imagined the Mantuan would himself have written if he had lived to perfect his own design.[1823July 5, “The Petition of a Baker’s Daughter”, inThe Adventurer of the Nineteenth Century, volume XIII, London: Printed for Knight and Lacey. And sold by Henry Holloway,→OCLC,page196, column 2:Well, what do you think I'll give you? Why, fourteen kisses, and that's abaker's dozenyou know; and so no more at present, from yours till I'm married,[…][I]n the disposal of herbaker's dozens, she is admonishednotto be profuse; and, moveover,notto be any body's till she is married, not even her well-wisher's.][1839], chapter I, inThe Factory Lad. Or, The Life of Simon Smike; Exemplifying the Horrors of White Slavery, London: Printed and published by Thomas White, 59, Wych Street,Strand,→OCLC,page10, column 1:When some half dozen ofbakers' dozensof constables are to be created, is it not very tiresome that a magistrate shall sit in an easy arm chair, in a snug room, and before a roaring fire, whilst the oath is read to each, and whilst each kisses the book, until the moisture of their breath has saturated with damp, the sheep or calf skin in which the book is packed up? There is something very tedious and unpleasant in all this, and great praise is due to the steward of Squire Screw, for having invented the means by which such annoying forms may be set aside.1921April 16,Achmed Abdullah, “Framed at the Benefactor’s Club”, inDetective Story Magazine; republished inFear and Other Stories from the Pulps,[Holicong, Pa.?]:Wildside Press,2005,→ISBN, chapter IV (In His Pocket),page104:"[…] But the police have an idea that I committed—" / "What—for the love of Mike?" / "Murder!" / "Good heavens!" / "And that isn't all, Bob. They've a couple ofbakers' dozensof witnesses, all cocked and primed to swear to it!"2009, Tony Hyland, “A Baker’s Dozen”, inThe Bread Book: Multiplying and Dividing(Mathematics Readers, Number and Operations; level 4), Huntington Beach, Calif.: Teacher Created Materials,→ISBN,pages22–23:Around the thirteenth century, bakes began to add an extra loaf to every dozen. They did not want to be accused of cheating their customers. So 13 items has become known as abaker's dozen.[…]Today, some bakers still bake bread in "baker's dozens."; (Cockney rhyming slang)Acousin.2015February,Kevin Sylvester,Neil Flambé and the Bard’s Banquet(Neil Flambé Capers; 5), 1st paperback edition, New York, N.Y.:Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers,→ISBN,page65:"Before I agree to help you and yourbaker's dozenover there …" Rose nodded at Larry. / "It means cousin," Larry said. / "Before I say yes to helping, I would like a low-risk, up-front agreement."
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