baker's half dozen

baker's half dozen

Half of a "baker's dozen" (13 rather than 12), thus, 7 rather than 6. The term "baker's dozen" to mean 13 originates from an 11th-century practice in which bakers would include an extra loaf of bread in a dozen so as to avoid facing penalties for selling underweight bread. The seven deadly sins are a baker's half dozen of things one should avoid in order to live a moral life.
See also: dozen, half
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • baker
  • baker's dozen
  • a baker's dozen
  • a banker's dozen
  • banker
  • a long dozen
  • long dozen
  • half a dozen
  • dozen
  • dime
References in periodicals archive
Beryl, who posed as Miss January in the original calendar, said: "If we had a pound for every time a person who sees us says, 'I didn't recognise you with your clothes on', we'd have raised a lot more!" The five women, who have released a 2011 calendar under their new name, Baker's Half Dozen, were in Cardiff for the opening of Calendar Girls at the Wales Millennium Centre, which will run until Saturday, August 7.
Real-life calendar girls in town to see new show
So far their exploits have netted the charity more than pounds 1m and the six women, who call themselves the Baker's Half Dozen after the original 11 split, hope to raise more money for the cancer charity.
BRITAIN: WI calendar girls launch their latest offering for charity
She continues fundraising with six of the original calendar girls, calling themselves the Baker's Half Dozen.
DVLA workersstrip off to pose in name of a good cause