Lagniappe

I was in a spelling bee in the South in grade school — a 3rd grader going up against high school students. I was runner-up in the contest. The winner was a 12th grader. The word I tripped on was “lagniappe.” I had never heard of it, did not know what it meant, and certainly did not know how to spell it. I spelled it “lan-yap” which is how it is correctly pronounced (a Cajun word). That day I learned how to spell it correctly, pronounce it, and also looked up the meaning of it. 50 years later, I have not forgotten.

Shark Lady, Washington, D.C.