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Vantage Loaf
A vantage loaf (first recorded in 1612) is the 13th loaf of a baker's dozen.—a loaf of bread which is to the buyer's advantage, being in addition to the number ordered. The 13th-century English law governing trade in bread and ale, known as the Assize of Bread and Ale, imposed severe punishment for short measure. This could be a fine, destruction of the baker's oven, or even the pillory. To protect themselves, bakers would add a small piece of bread to each order, called the "in-bread", to ensure they could not be accused of short measure. For large orders of 12 loaves, this would be a whole extra loaf. In years of good harvest a baker could be making more bread than could be sold from the shop. Extra bread was sold on to middlemen or "hucksters ''The Hucksters'' is a 1947 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film directed by Jack Conway starring Clark Gable and Deborah Kerr, her debut in an American film. The supporting cast includes Sydney Greenstreet, Adolphe Menjou, Ava Gardner, Keen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baker's Dozen
A dozen (commonly abbreviated doz or dz) is a grouping of twelve. The dozen may be one of the earliest primitive integer groupings, perhaps because there are approximately a dozen cycles of the Moon, or months, in a cycle of the Sun, or year. Twelve is convenient because it has a maximal number of divisors among the numbers up to its double, a property only true of 1, 2, 6, 12, 60, 360, and 2520. The use of twelve as a base number, known as the duodecimal system (also as ''dozenal''), originated in Mesopotamia (see also sexagesimal). Counting in base-12 can easily be accomplished on one's hands by counting each finger bone with one's thumb. Using this method, one hand can count to twelve, and two hands (with the second hand as a placeholder for representing units of twelve) can count to 144. Twelve dozen (122 = 144) are known as a gross; and twelve gross (123 = 1,728, the duodecimal 1,000) are called a great gross, a term most often used when shipping or buying items in bul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made foods, having been of significance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture. Bread may be leavened by naturally occurring microbes (e.g. sourdough), chemicals (e.g. baking soda), industrially produced yeast, or high-pressure aeration, which creates the gas bubbles that fluff up bread. In many countries, commercial bread often contains additives to improve flavor, texture, color, shelf life, nutrition, and ease of production. History Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods. Evidence from 30,000 years ago in Europe and Australia revealed starch residue on rocks used for pounding plants. It is possible that during this time, starch extract from the roots of plants, such as c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assize Of Bread And Ale
The Assize of Bread and Ale ( la, Assisa panis et cervisiae) was a 13th-century law in high medieval England, which regulated the price, weight and quality of the bread and beer manufactured and sold in towns, villages and hamlets. It was the first law in British history to regulate the production and sale of food. At the local level, this resulted in regulatory licensing systems, with arbitrary recurring fees, and fines and punishments for lawbreakers (see amercement). In rural areas, the statute was enforced by manorial lords, who held tri-weekly court sessions. The law was amended by the Bread Acts of 1822 and 1836, which stipulated that loaves should be sold by the pound, or multiple thereof, and finally repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1863 (26 & 27 Vict. c. 125). Origin An assize was originally a fixed sitting of a court or council. Under the Angevin monarchy its meaning developed to signify a law based upon "agreed custom". Background Bread regulation was the most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pillory
The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks. Etymology The word is documented in English since 1274 (attested in Anglo-Latin from ), and stems from Old French (1168; modern French , see below), itself from medieval Latin , of uncertain origin, perhaps a diminutive of Latin 'pillar, stone barrier'. Description Rather like the lesser punishment called the stocks, the pillory consisted of hinged wooden boards forming holes through which the head and/or various limbs were inserted; then the boards were locked together to secure the captive. Pillories were set up to hold people in marketplaces, crossroads, and other public places. They were often placed on platforms to increase public visibility of the person. Often a placard detailing the crime was placed nearby; these punishment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huckster
A huckster is anyone who sells something or serves biased interests, using pushy or showy tactics. Historically, the term meant any type of peddler or vendor, but over time it has assumed pejorative connotations. Etymology The original meaning of huckster is a person who sells small articles, either door-to-door or from a stall or small store, like a peddler or hawker. The term probably derives from the Middle English , meaning "to haggle". The word was in use circa 1200 (as "huccsteress"). During the medieval period, the word assumed the feminine word ending "ster" as in huck''ster'', reflecting the fact that most hucksters were women. The word assumed various spellings at different times: ''hukkerye'', ''hukrie'', ''hockerye'', ''huckerstrye'' or ''hoxterye''. The word was still in use in England in the 1840s, when it appeared as a black-market occupation. It is related to the Middle Dutch and the Middle Low German , but appears earlier than any of these. In the United State ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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