Baker's dozen?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="headline">headline</span> (<span word="Telegraph">Telegraph</span>.<span word="co">co</span>.<span word="uk">uk</span>, <span word="March">March</span> 6, 2018): <span word="London">London</span>’<span word="s">s</span> £127 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="Picasso">Picasso</span> <span word="fever">fever</span> - <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Englishman">Englishman</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="bought">bought</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="baker">baker</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="dozen">dozen</span>.</p><p><span word="And">And</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="does">does</span> “<span word="baker">baker</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="dozen">dozen</span>” <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="exactly">exactly</span>?</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="Baker">Baker</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="dozen">dozen</span> <span word="means">means</span> 13. <span word="A">A</span> <span word="review">review</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="story">story</span> <span word="online">online</span> <span word="confirms">confirms</span> <span word="this">this</span>, <span word="via">via</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="paragraph">paragraph</span>:</p><p><span word="During">During</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="boom">boom</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="late">late</span> <span word="Eighties">Eighties</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="buyers">buyers</span> <span word="driving">driving</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Picasso">Picasso</span> <span word="market">market</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="Japanese">Japanese</span>, <span word="now">now</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span>. <span word="However">However</span>, <span word="last">last</span> <span word="week">week</span>, <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="bidders">bidders</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="mostly">mostly</span> <span word="outgunned">outgunned</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="top">top</span> <span word="Picasso">Picasso</span> <span word="lots">lots</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="quiet">quiet</span> <span word="Englishman">Englishman</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="grey">grey</span> <span word="suit">suit</span> <span word="named">named</span> <span word="Harry">Harry</span> <span word="Smith">Smith</span>, <span word="who">who</span> <span word="bid">bid</span> <span word="without">without</span> <span word="flinching">flinching</span> <span word="until">until</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="won">won</span> 13 <span word="Picassos">Picassos</span> (<span word="including">including</span> <span word="that">that</span> 1939 <span word="portrait">portrait</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Walter">Walter</span>) <span word="for">for</span> £112.5 <span word="million">million</span>.</p><p><span word="It">It</span> <span word="states">states</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="this">this</span> “<span word="quite">quite</span> <span word="Englishman">Englishman</span>”, <span word="named">named</span> <span word="Harry">Harry</span> <span word="Smith">Smith</span>, <span word="bought">bought</span> 13 <span word="Picassos">Picassos</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="whole">whole</span> <span word="headline">headline</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="this">this</span>: <span word="In">In</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="feverish">feverish</span> <span word="auction">auction</span>, <span word="Picasso">Picasso</span> <span word="paintings">paintings</span> <span word="fetched">fetched</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="staggering">staggering</span> £127 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="total">total</span>, <span word="with">with</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="Englishman">Englishman</span> <span word="forking">forking</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="for">for</span> 13 <span word="of">of</span> <span word="them">them</span>.</p><p><span word="Anyways">Anyways</span>, <span word="baker">baker</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="dozen">dozen</span> <span word="means">means</span> 13 – <span word="not">not</span> <span word="twelve">twelve</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="number">number</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="dozen">dozen</span> <span word="usually">usually</span> <span word="represents">represents</span>.</p><p><span word="How">How</span> <span word="come">come</span>?</p><p><span word="It">It</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="story">story</span>. <span word="Sometime">Sometime</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="past">past</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="England">England</span>, <span word="laws">laws</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="stiff">stiff</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="strict">strict</span> <span word="against">against</span> <span word="cheating">cheating</span> <span word="bakers">bakers</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="sold">sold</span> <span word="breads">breads</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="underweight">underweight</span>. <span word="You">You</span> <span word="know">know</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="sell">sell</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="pounds">pounds</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="bread">bread</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="come">come</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="weigh">weigh</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="bread">bread</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="pound">pound</span> <span word="and">and</span> 14 <span word="or">or</span> 15 <span word="ounces">ounces</span>, <span word="meaning">meaning</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="ounces">ounces</span> <span word="short">short</span>. <span word="Apparently">Apparently</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="practice">practice</span> <span word="became">became</span> <span word="prevalent">prevalent</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="degree">degree</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="government">government</span> <span word="took">took</span> <span word="action">action</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="eliminate">eliminate</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="practice">practice</span> – <span word="by">by</span> <span word="introducing">introducing</span> <span word="harsh">harsh</span> <span word="penalties">penalties</span> <span word="including">including</span>, <span word="say">say</span>, <span word="flogging">flogging</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="whipping">whipping</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="public">public</span>.</p>
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