twelve of them make a dozen

[booq.livejournal.com]

 Всем привет!

Хотелось бы узнать насчет значения выражения "twelve of them make a dozen"

Контекст такой: 

I have sat at the foot of Nature a good
many years, and I have as my opinion
that to be a mother in its best sense is
the biggest thing on earth, and comes
nearer the Creator's work than anything
else under heaven; to be a learned girl
or woman graduate is a very good and
respectable thing enough, and
twelve of them make a dozen.

Comments

[old-greeb.livejournal.com]

Я встречал перевод этого выражения "таких двенадцать на дюжину".

[caballo-marino.livejournal.com]

"Их таких тринадцать на дюжину".

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

As you are undoubtedly aware, the speaker is comparing the importance of being a mother ("the biggest thing on earth") with that of being learned (e.g., highly educated) or a graduate.

To emphasize the difference of that importance, the speaker describes the latter attributes as "very good and respectable" things and immediately devalues them by saying that twelve such things make a dozen.

(Imagine a situation where someone wins some award and someone says to that person: "Receiving that award is a very good and respectable thing, and I'm sure that if you were to walk into a coffee shop with that award and a five dollar bill, you could even buy coffee!" Same idea.)

In US English, there is a similar expression (a bit more direct). Instead of "...and twelve of them make a dozen," we'd say: "...but such things are a dime a dozen." (Where a dime - being ten cents - is not of much value at all.)

Hope this helps.

Cheers...