or lagnappe, subs. (American).—See quot.
1877. S. L. CLEMENS (‘Mark Twain’), Life on the Mississippi, p. 404–5. We picked up one excellent word …—LAGNIAPPE.… It is the equivalent of the thirteenth roll in a ‘baker’s dozen.’ It is something thrown in, gratis, for good measure. The custom originated in the Spanish quarter of the city. When a child or a servant buys something … he finishes the operation by saying: ‘Give me something for LAGNIAPPE.’ The shopman always responds…. When you are invited to drink,… and you say, ‘What, again?—no, I’ve had enough’; the other party says, ‘But just this one time more—this is for LAGNIAPPE.’
1884. G. W. CABLE, The Creoles of Louisiana, xvi. The pleasant institution of ñapa—the petty gratuity added, by the retailer, to anything bought—grew the pleasanter, drawn out into Gallicized LAGNAPPE.
