Why is a baker's dozen 13?
The Real Answer
A baker's dozen is 13 items instead of 12, and the exact origin is debated. The most documented explanation dates to medieval England, where bakers who short-changed customers faced severe punishments — sometimes losing a hand. To avoid accidentally selling underweight bread, bakers started adding an extra loaf to every dozen to guarantee they met the weight requirement. The practice became formalized in the 1266 Assize of Bread and Ale, and the tradition persisted even after standardized weights made it unnecessary.
Bakers were so terrified of getting their hands cut off that they invented math nobody asked for. Now we're 800 years later and you're still trying to explain to people that a dozen is sometimes 13, like the number system itself is having a mental breakdown.
Why People Ask This
Most people encounter a baker's dozen in children's stories or old-fashioned bakeries and assume it's either a joke or a quaint tradition with no real reason. The medieval hand-chopping backstory is surprisingly dark for something that sounds whimsical, which is why it sticks in people's heads once they learn it.