Friday the 13th

[007]

Have a happy one.http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/jason.gif

[Joie]

One of my friends has a daughter that turns seven today. Her son was born on April Fools Day.

[007]

One of my friends has a daughter that turns seven today. Her son was born on April Fools Day.
How ironic. Did the doctor say "Congratulations, you have a daughter. April Fools!!!"

[BigRedChief]

I met my wife on Friday the 13th. We got married on Friday the 13th.

[Smed1065]

Friday the 13th is better than any Monday the 13th IMO.

[Nzoner]

Did you know (http://www.netglimse.com/holidays/friday_the_13th/friday_the_13th_facts.shtml)......

According to Smithsonian Magazine "fear of the #13 costs American a billion dollars per year in absenteeism, train and plane cancellations, and reduced commerce on the 13th of the month."


# Fear of Friday the 13th dates back to Nordic Mythology. Many of their thirteenth Gods met with violent deaths, such as Loki, the trickster.

# Ancient Romans regarded the number 13 as a symbol of death, destruction and misfortune.

# Lizzy Borden uttered a total of 13 words at her trial.

# There were 13 original colonies.

# A witches coven consists of 13 members.

# Tarot Card number 13 is the Death Card, depicting the Grim Reaper (although it is read as transition or change and not literal death).

# Hotels rarely have a room number 13. Usually it is called 12a or 14. Same with floors of buildings and the elevators without a #13 button. Highways sometimes will skip exit 13 altogether also.

# There are 13 steps leading to the gallows.

# 13 knots in a hangman's noose.

# 13 feet which the guillotine blade falls.

# The driver of Princess Diana hit pillar #13 at Place de l'Alma when she was killed in Paris, France.

# 13 people, Christ and his 12 disciples, were in attendance at the last supper. This is where the Christian belief ties in, making Friday a believed unlucky day, as the crucifixtion occurred on a Friday.

# Certain ocean liners will be held in dock until after midnight to appease passenger's fears on Friday the 13th.

# British study concluded that even though there were less cars on the road on Friday the 13th (as compared with other Fridays) more accidents were reported.

# Trisadekaphobia is the technical name for fear of Friday the 13th.

# Apollo 13, 1970, the 13th mission launched from pad #39 (13 x 3), mission was aborted, after an explosion occurred in the fuel cell of their service module. The rocket had left launcing pad at 13:13 CST and the date was April 13th.

# Epluribus Unum has 13 letters.

# The US Seal has 13 stars, bars, feathers in the eagle's tail, 13 bars in one claw, 13 olive branches in the other.

# A "quatrorzieme" is a professional 14th guest hired by the French who had only 13 guests in attendance for dinner, who felt that was unlucky.

# A baker's dozen consists of 13 for a reason! So the story goes a witch near Albany, NY demanded 13 items every time she came in to a particular bakery, and one day the old baker could not afford her extra biscuit. She sneered some strange words at the man, and he suffered terrible luck from then on, until he brought her another 13 rolls. After that life was once again easy for the baker and word spread around town. The custom is still sometimes practiced today.

[listopencil]

# A baker's dozen consists of 13 for a reason! So the story goes a witch near Albany, NY demanded 13 items every time she came in to a particular bakery, and one day the old baker could not afford her extra biscuit. She sneered some strange words at the man, and he suffered terrible luck from then on, until he brought her another 13 rolls. After that life was once again easy for the baker and word spread around town. The custom is still sometimes practiced today.

I heard that bakers were punished if their loaves were too small so they started adding a thirteenth loaf to avoid the punishment.

[listopencil]

Something along these lines:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/Bakers%20dozen.html


Baker's dozen

Meaning

Thirteen or, more rarely, fourteen.

Origin

It's widely believed that this phrase originated from the practice of medieval English bakers giving an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling short weight. This is an attractive story and, unlike many that inhabit the folk memory, it appears to be substantially true. We can say a little more to flesh out that derivation though.

Firstly, the practise appears to have originated several centuries before the phrase. England has a long history of regulation of trade and bakers were regulated by a trade guild called The Worshipful Company of Bakers, which dates back to at least the reign of Henry II (1154-89). The law that caused bakers to be so wary was the Assize of Bread and Ale. In the 1266 Henry III revived a ancient statute that regulated the price of bread according to the price of wheat. Bakers or brewers who gave short measure could be fined, pilloried or flogged, as in 1477 when the Chronicle of London reported that a baker called John Mund[e]w was 'schryved upon the pyllory' for selling bread that was underweight.

Secondly, it's not quite so neat that whenever bakers sold twelve loaves they then added another identical loaf to make thirteen. They would have had just as much concern when selling eleven loaves, but there's no baker's eleven. Remember that the Assize regulated weight not number. What the bakers were doing whenever they sold bread in any quantity was adding something extra to make sure the total weight wasn't short. The addition was called the inbread or vantage loaf. When selling in quantity to middlemen or wholesalers they would add an extra loaf or two. When selling single loaves to individuals they would offer a small extra piece of bread.

The Worshipful Company still exist and report that this practise carried on within living memory and that a small 'inbread' was often given with each loaf.

So, that's the practise, what about the phrase? That goes back to at least 1599, as in this odd quotation from John Cooke's Tu Quoque:

"Mine's a baker's dozen: Master Bubble, tell your money."

The phrase is related to the practise in John Goodwin's A Being Filled with the Spirit, referring back to a quotation from 1665:

"As that which we call the in-bread is given into the dozen, there is nothing properly paid or givn for it, but only for the dozen."

By 1864 Hotten's Slang Dictionary gives this explicit definition for Baker's dozen:

"This consists of thirteen or fourteen; the surplus number, called the inbread, being thrown in for fear of incurring the penalty for short weight."

[Nzoner]

I heard that bakers were punished if their loaves were too small so they started adding a thirteenth loaf to avoid the punishment.

I really don't know,just came across the link and found some of the stuff interesting.

[boogblaster]

Ive been tormented with the labor of transporting a 13 penis my whole life.. and yes its my own ...

[DMAC]

Don't buy a car today...

Don't close on a home today...

[Phobia]

Ive been tormented with the labor of transporting a 13 penis my whole life.. and yes its my own ...

13 cm, I presume.

[boogblaster]

You didnt have to get technical ....

[Skip Towne]

Something along these lines:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/Bakers%20dozen.html


Baker's dozen

Meaning

Thirteen or, more rarely, fourteen.

Origin

It's widely believed that this phrase originated from the practice of medieval English bakers giving an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling short weight. This is an attractive story and, unlike many that inhabit the folk memory, it appears to be substantially true. We can say a little more to flesh out that derivation though.

Firstly, the practise appears to have originated several centuries before the phrase. England has a long history of regulation of trade and bakers were regulated by a trade guild called The Worshipful Company of Bakers, which dates back to at least the reign of Henry II (1154-89). The law that caused bakers to be so wary was the Assize of Bread and Ale. In the 1266 Henry III revived a ancient statute that regulated the price of bread according to the price of wheat. Bakers or brewers who gave short measure could be fined, pilloried or flogged, as in 1477 when the Chronicle of London reported that a baker called John Mund[e]w was 'schryved upon the pyllory' for selling bread that was underweight.

Secondly, it's not quite so neat that whenever bakers sold twelve loaves they then added another identical loaf to make thirteen. They would have had just as much concern when selling eleven loaves, but there's no baker's eleven. Remember that the Assize regulated weight not number. What the bakers were doing whenever they sold bread in any quantity was adding something extra to make sure the total weight wasn't short. The addition was called the inbread or vantage loaf. When selling in quantity to middlemen or wholesalers they would add an extra loaf or two. When selling single loaves to individuals they would offer a small extra piece of bread.

The Worshipful Company still exist and report that this practise carried on within living memory and that a small 'inbread' was often given with each loaf.

So, that's the practise, what about the phrase? That goes back to at least 1599, as in this odd quotation from John Cooke's Tu Quoque:

"Mine's a baker's dozen: Master Bubble, tell your money."

The phrase is related to the practise in John Goodwin's A Being Filled with the Spirit, referring back to a quotation from 1665:

"As that which we call the in-bread is given into the dozen, there is nothing properly paid or givn for it, but only for the dozen."

By 1864 Hotten's Slang Dictionary gives this explicit definition for Baker's dozen:

"This consists of thirteen or fourteen; the surplus number, called the inbread, being thrown in for fear of incurring the penalty for short weight."
I think my neighbors are inbread.

[boogblaster]

I know my neighbors are in-bread ..uncle-daddy and aunt-mommy ....

[listopencil]

I think my neighbors are inbread.

Just cover them with a creamy butter and minced garlic mixture. One of your other neighboors will eat them. Problem solved.

[ChiTown]

I had no idea today was Friday the 13th until you brought up this thread. Thanks. Now, I'm sure something bad is goadih'[0dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

[listopencil]

# Trisadekaphobia is the technical name for fear of Friday the 13th.




While I'm here, I believe triskadekaphobia is the fear of the number "13" rather than Friday the thirteenth.

[Redrum_69]

Supposedly there were 13 months, according to the Mayan calendar, but it was all changed in the year 13/13/13 Thats right...the 13th day in the 13th month of the 13th year.

[Halfcan]

I can usually drink 13 beers and get a buzz.

Happy Friday the 13th!

[PastorMikH]

Worst Fri 13th I've had in a long time. I had to work on the Church van today - to get ready to haul a bunch of people to OKC tommorow. It's a Dodge - need I say more. I get in it today to go gas it up and the drivers door won't close. I slam it about 4 times and it finally catches. I guess it's been doing this for a while now and the driver(s) didn't bother to let me know. I check the door and the hinge bushings are shot. I call out to Dodge and ask if they have any pins and bushings in stock. The guy tells me that isn't an option and that I have to buy the entire hinge assembly and they run between $60 and $75. I ask if that is per hinge of per door. He says per hinge (I need a bottom and top hinge for each door). I tell him that's ridiculous and sign off. I call O'Reilly next and ask for hinge pins and bushings. He says yep, come on down. A kit to replace the pins and bushings per door is $5. The Dodge dealer is doing some major ripping off for parts. Then I get to install them. It's a lot of fun putting a door back on by yourself. Bolt it up, close the door, loosen up, readjust, bolt up and repeat the process until it finally meshes.

I could have been doing better stuff today.