A Baker's Dozen

A Baker's dozen is 13.  There are a few theories why a baker's dozen is 13.

In medieval England there were laws related to the price of bread to the price of the wheat used to make it. Bakers who were found to be cheating their customers by overpricing undersized loaves were subject to severe punishment, including fines and flogging. It was difficult to ensure that all the baked goods come out the same size; because of rising and baking and air content there may be variations in weight.  As a precaution against weight shortage they add an extra loaf to ensure that they would not end up with a flogging or fine. 

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