Lagniappe

Hello and welcome to Word of the Week! I’m your host, Liz. This podcast is dedicated to words and phrases that are untranslatable into English. Let’s discover the nuance of the world’s languages, shall we?

This week’s word is lagniappe. A French Creole word meaning ‘an unexpected gift to a stranger or customer’. Now this word might be foreign to most of the United States, but not in New Orleans. In Nola, it’s a part of everyday speech. The Creole culture is a mixture of the French, Spanish, and African elements of Louisiana that date back to the 18th century. 

To this day, there are store managers who keep small gifts behind the counter, that they hand out to friendly browsers who don’t seem to buy anything. A lagniappe is a general term for anything extra that wasn’t expected by the terms of a contract. Which makes sense in a store. There is a tacit contract when you enter a store - that you will purchase something. 

However, depending on the store, you may not make a purchase. The item you’re looking for might not be there. But if you’re friendly and jovial, you might receive a small lollipop or pack of gum as a lagniappe. Or the unexpected gift might be of greater value. The car dealership might say, after things are signed and sealed, that “as a lagniappe, I’ll throw in a pre-loaded gas card”. 

This seems like a good business custom that is sorely needed in our current world of fewer potato chips in the bag. What’s going to encourage customer loyalty then? Friendly, helpful, and honest customer service, of course. But also a lagniappe for well-behaved children perhaps? I’ve personally been to stores where they have free flowers as you checkout, just because. And let’s not look down on the adorably welcomed pup cup, which is its own form of lagniappe. 

Here’s to this week… May you all endeavor to adopt this Word of the Week and see the world a little bit differently. I’ll be back next week with a new word. Thank you for listening!