Some one who is one donut short of a dozen is basicallymissing a key element to their brains. A.K.A., they are stupid.
One egg short of a dozen works too, but that sounds nasty.
P1: Look at Anna- ew, why is she hugging that cardboard cutout?
P2: Oh, she's one donut short of a dozen. She thinks that's her boyfriend.
Mr. Rawley, a prestigious educator from Imagine Schools says, "In reference to dime meaning 10 and dozen, 12, this phrase can be described as an event or phenomenon occurring 10 out of 12 times.
It's believed that "dime a dozen" originated in the 1800's when a hen was expected to yield at least 10 viable eggs out of 12 that are laid.