Read in Marta Perry’s “Katie’s Way”

Question

What does the phrase “sixteen to the dozen” mean? I read it in a book concerning a couple of teenagers chatting.

Answer 1

‘Nineteen to the dozen’ (the usual phrase is 19, not 16) - means that a dozen is a group of things comprising 12 items (of any kind) - like - a dozen eggs, a dozen loaves, a dozen books, etc. If there are ‘19 to the dozen’, them the quantity of ‘a dozen’ has been increased to denote not 12, but 19 items. Thus increasing it’s quantity by about 30%.

This expression normally refers to talking. The children were ‘talking 19 to the dozen’ - it means they were talking 30% more than normal - ie at a value of 19 being a dozen - instead of 12.

Oft heard in Enid Blyton stories, in this case ‘The Adventure Treasury’:

‘They're good kids,” said Daddy, with a yawn. “Well, let's go to sleep, too. Ned, I hope you'll be able to ... They had a late breakfast, and the children chattered nineteen to the dozen as they ate ...’

...And ...I’ll offer 13:2 that you can’t find an Enid Blyton story that DOESN’T contain this phrase!

Lastly, the author may have used 16 because they didn’t know it was 19. Or, they used 16 to refer to the fact that it is teenagers talking - ie 16 year olds.