lagniappe

a very familiar word, which I can both pronounce and spell. Also a very frustrating word because I cannot for the life of me define it without looking it up. Arggh!

Definition of lagniappe:
“la·gniappe (lăn'yəp, lăn-yăp')
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi.

1. A small gift presented by a storeowner to a customer with the customer's purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called boot. See Regional Note.

[Louisiana French, from American Spanish la ñapa, the gift : la, the (from Latin illa, feminine of ille, that, the) + ñapa (variant of yapa, gift, from Quechua, from yapay, to give more).]

REGIONAL NOTE: Lagniappe derives from New World Spanish la ñapa, “the gift,” and ultimately from Quechua yapay, “to give more.” The word came into the rich Creole dialect mixture of New Orleans and there acquired a French spelling. It is still used in the Gulf States, especially southern Louisiana, to denote a little bonus that a friendly shopkeeper might add to a purchase. By extension, it may mean “an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.” ” (answers.com).

Where I ran across it:
11/14/08 NYT article, “The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla” by Dick Cavett.

“PS: Lagniappe for English mavens: A friend of mine has made you laugh greatly over the years. ... As a language fan, he has preserved many gems for posterity in his prodigious memory bank. Here comes my favorite:

A Navy lecturer was talking about some directives on the blackboard that he said to do something about, “except for these here ones with the asteroids in back of.”

Even David couldn’t make that up.”

My two cents:
Thanks as always to Dick Cavett for another smart column, and for reminding me of “lagniappe.”

I’ve had my fill of his subject matter, however: that frightening woman from the frozen north; poster girl for the Peter Principle; supreme goddess of screwed up syntax; all-around enigma, or should I say anathema??? Why did/do so many Americans like her? That’s Cavett’s question, and mine, too. It would be nice if she’d go quietly, now. Wouldn’t that be a beneficent parting gift, a truly lovely lagniappe from her to the country? Fat chance, friends. The press won’t leave her alone, and vice versa. She isn’t going away. Like the scary thing in a really bad horror movie, she keeps coming ba-a-a-ck. Cue the creepy music and cover your eyes. The show ain’t over.

Who ya gonna call, gosh darn it.