lagniappe
\ lan-YAP, LAN-yap \, noun;
1.Chiefly Southern Louisiana and Southeast Texas . a small gift given with a purchase to a customer, by way of compliment or for good measure; bonus.
2.a gratuity or tip.
3.an unexpected or indirect benefit.
Quotes:
We picked up one excellent word—a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word—' lagniappe .'
-- Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi , 1883
" Lagniappe !" I screamed the word. The old Creole word they used in New Orleans when they want a little extra; a bonus of croissants, a few additional carrots dumped into the shopping bag, a baker's dozen, a larger portion of clams or crabs or shrimp.
-- Harlan Ellison, "On the Downhill Side," Deathbird Stories , 1975
Origin:
Lagniappe , also spelled lagnappe , is an Americanism that entered English in the mid-19th century. It is thought to be a variant of the Spanish term la napa , which can be traced to the Quecha word yapa .
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