A little lagniappe for all my readers:
If you were to wander into a diner and order a tuna sandwich, you might be surprised if it is served with some pickles on the side. The pickles are something extra which is the essence of lagniappe.
Similarly, if one drives in to a service station to buy some of that $3.75 per gallon gas, and the attendant washes the windshield, as unlikely as that may be, the window washing is a little something extra; hence, it should be considered as lagniappe.
Lagniappe is a Cajun word which has French underpinnings. It means “a little something extra”, which is what these three small essays represent. I hope you like them. For those who are interested in parsing and pronunciation, this Cajun word is pronounced “lan-yappe” with the accent generally on the first syllable. If you wish to put the accent on the second syllable as Parisians may do, that might add some class to your phraseology.
There is no restriction on putting the accent on both syllables which is the pronunciation favored by Protestant preachers.
July 28, 2006
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Parsing the distribution document to figure out which essays, specifically, were included here is difficult.
Finding all the essays that include a specifically identified lagniappe is much easier. Enjoy!
EATING HEELS
ASHCROFT ENDORSES CRISCO, LILLIE CARR AND JACOB’S LADDER
BEN GIVENS’ NEWSPEAK
NUNCE: A NEW NEOLOGISM
OLD GEEZERS DYING IN BIG NUMBERS