daily dozen

noun

, Informal.

1. a set of calisthenic exercises to be done each day, originally a set of 12 or more such exercises.

Word History and Origins

Origin of daily dozen¹

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

Idioms and Phrases

Physical exercise, as in Helen walks two miles every morning—that's her daily dozen . This term originally referred to a set of twelve specific calisthenic exercises to be performed every day. They were devised by a famous Yale University football coach, Walter Camp (1859–1925), and came into general use in the early 1900s. Despite the physical fitness craze of the late 1900s, these exercises and their name are no longer taken literally, but the term survives in a very general way.

Example Sentences

There is a bonus, however, which is that twice a day, Ms. Kocar and her team send a “Daily Dozen” of the best and most popular polls to every Wishbone user.

From New York Times

The app also employs an “everyone gets a trophy” philosophy by having Ms. Kocar and her editorial team choose many different polls, not just the most popular ones, for the coveted Daily Dozen of posts that all Wishbone users vote on.

From New York Times

Altman stores up energy by gobbling yogurt, Burnett is a yogist, and Bacall goes through a daily dozen of what she calls "lying down" exercises.

From Time Magazine Archive

The constantly flying Daily Dozen give the U.S. a defense that, as SAC Chief Thomas Power says, "never has been attempted in the military history of the world before."

From Time Magazine Archive

Early in World War II the Shah of Iran wrote to his friend Franklin Roosevelt and asked him to recommend a composer who could set Walter Camp's "Daily Dozen" physical exercises to Persian rhythms for use by the Iranian army.

From Time Magazine Archive