Things I Wish People Wouldn't Say - 3

Ten to the Dozen

Everybody knows that it means really fast, as in "She was talking ten to the dozen", but why?  In fact, it doesn't.  As a dozen is twelve, doing something at a rate of ten to the dozen is a doing at two-twelfths below pace.  That's nearly 17% below normal.

I, and many other people, say "Nineteen to the Dozen" to convey the same meaning.  This is, in fact, the origin of "ten to the dozen", but I've yet to find a reasonable explanation, other then stupidity, for why the "ten" version came into existence.  There is a theory, to do with steam-powered pumping engines, that could raise 19,000 gallons of water for every 12 bushels of coal burnt - hence the nineteen to the dozen.

The obvious difference between the two phrases is that, if you'd never heard either of them before, you would expect nineteen to the dozen to be faster than normal, and faster than ten to the dozen.  90% faster in fact.

So, dear world, please stop saying "ten to the dozen" and let's get back to "nineteen to the dozen".