A little extra

It's not that often I come across a word I've never met before and can't even guess at its etymology but today I did: lagniappe. I had to look it up.
Pronounced lanyap, it means a freebie, a bonus added by a vendor such as when you make a purchase and she throws in something extra. It's chiefly used in the American South, especially around New Orleans and - no wonder I couldn't guess its origins - it comes from a Quechua (Andean) word adopted by Spanish Creole and then taken into Louisiana French. 

This little packet of sesame snaps (which haven't changed their appearance in decades) was my lagniappe  yesterday when I went to our nearest 'ethnic' shop to buy some Arabic goods for the refugee family who will be arriving in the UK tomorrow. Although a small mountain of food has been donated I thought they might be relieved to find a few tins and packets with Arabic labels. After I'd paid for the stuff the friendly shopkeeper popped this little lagniappe into the box - although I didn't know then that it was.

If you want to know more see here and here.

(Never stop learning!  Another fact I found out today is that an otter's fur is so thick that one square inch contains almost a million hairs.)