There are a few theories as to how a baker's dozen became thirteen. But the most widely accepted is that bakers would throw an extra loaf into orders of a dozen to avoid a flogging. In medieval England, there were strict laws controlling the price of bread.

But a baker's dozen is commonly understood to mean 13. Are bakers just bad at counting? Not quite. There are a few theories as to why a baker's dozen became 13, but the most widely accepted one has to do with avoiding a beating.

In some societies, bakers had poor reputations for shorting customers the amount of bread they were supposed to give, and the punishment for a baker found guilty of shorting customers could be having ears nailed to the wall or hands cut off. This is the story of the baker's dozen.

It takes 12 units to make a dozen. A group of 12 objects or items are collectively called 'a dozen' items. Thus, a dozen bananas means 12 bananas. The word dozen comes from the French word 'douzaine' which means a group of 12.