Tag Archives: New Orleans

Link

Lagniappe

Verbal Lore: folk Speech, slang — associated material, food lore

English/ French/ Spanish/ Quechua

United States of America/ France

Context:  A little something extra, or a small plate sent out by chefs at New orleans Fine dininf restaurants

Informant: Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont. Collected May 22, 2016 and recorded on iphone

Transcript:

“ In New Orleans, If you give somebody something a little bit extra or  or something that comes free, its termed  ‘Lagniappe.’ Lagniappe means a Little something extra.”

 

Informant: Caitlin Flint, age 21, Metairie, LA, worked as a server in the French Quarter, New Orleans collected on May 22, 2016 and recorded on an iphone.

Transcript:

“ The second word is the phrase ‘lagniappe.’ Lagniappe come from a French word. I’m actually not sure what it actually means in French, but growing up , my mother always described it to me  as meaning  ‘a little something extra,’ so  lagniappe was always used to describe if there was a small little gift that someone got and  tossed into the pile at Christmas or for birthday, or when they were visiting from far and they decided to bring a gift, the would call it ‘ just a little lagniappe for you. ’ it is also a phrase that is used almost exclusively in the  New Orleans restaurant  dining industry, as I said, I worked as a server, and in a lot of the New Orleans Restaurants, there is a practice of sending out what are called lagniappes to  values customers/ patrons, they were small little plates that were made by the chefs that were just a taste, just a small little, little something extra. For the patron who came in, in a lot of cases these were people who knew the owners, who were influential business folk. In general it just kind of helped reinforces this idea that, this little something extra was for those who were family, I guess it kind of fits in with how my family  always looked at it as a little nice something. That’s lagniappe.”

 

Informant: Brian Flint, age 23, Metairie, LA, collected on May 22, 2016 and recorded on an iphone.

Transcript:

“The first one I wanted to talk about was ‘Lagniappe’– That’s L-A-G-N-I-A-P-P-E . This word is pretty well used in the New Orleans area, it actually has origins in Quechua from Spanish Creoles that immigrated to the New Orleans , and still today in some Indian markets in Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, you can hear people say, like ‘lagniappa’ which means ‘ give me something a little bit extra. ’ The term means  you know, ‘a little something extra on top to sweeten the deal’ you know ‘good will’  or something like that thirteenth donut in a baker’s dozen.”

Collectors Commentary:

Informant info: (Left to Right) Sadhana Puri, age 20, Jessica Link, age 20, Alex Ledoux, age 21 all from New Orleans, LA

Transcript:

“Jessica: lagniappe.

Alex: lagniappe

Sadhana: lagniappe

Alex: It just means like extra

Jessica: a little something extra

Sadhana: a little extra

Alex: like bonus or something

Sadhana: I remember one time I was taking a test and, um, my professor actually Jessica and I were in the same group my teacher Dr. Hightower.

Jessica: Dr. Hightower, yes, our English teacher.

Sadhana: Getting confused. Anyway, she was like- I was asking her if I could do this bonus question because I forgot to do it during the test.  She was like “I can’t give you a little lagniappe.” That’s what she called the bonus question during the test.

Jessica: That’s cute.

Sadhana: That was funny.

Jessica: She was very much like, like when someone uses it I feel it’s very much like, like it’s uh, like it’s I don’t know, it’s not a word I use super normally.  It’s not like brake tag, where it’s a fun- . When I say it, it’s like I know this is a special word.  But it’s not like totally weird.

Alex: It’s like you know what it is, but your don’t use it.

Sadhana: But you don’t use it like frequently.

Alex: you would say like bonus question.

Jessica: Like if I said a little Lagniappe.  I would only say that like once a week or a month.

Sadhana: And then at restaurants

Alex: I’ve actually never said that.

Jessica: If someone said that I would know what it means.  Also our newspaper, well our old newspaper, the times Louisiana, used to have a Lagniappe section

Sadhana: That’s true

Jessica: That was like a cool section

Sadhana: Also at restaurants when they have like condiments and extra things you can put on and stuff it’s called “lagniappe,” gonna add something to your po’boy which is another term.”

Key words: Lagniappe, New Orleans, a little something extra, restaurants, small plates

 

 

Link

K&B purple

Informant: Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont. Collected May 22, 2016 and recorded on iphone.

Verbal Lore: Folk speech, Slang– associated: material lore

context: a deep lavender color that is associate with the Katz and Bestoff (K&B) drugstore chain

transcript:

“ There is something called ‘K&B purple’ that is a deep lavender that was used by the  Katz and Bestoff or K&B drugstore chain. Alas, that chain was bought bout by RiteAid.  Peoplw round here still know ehat shade K&B purple is.”

Collectors Commentary: The color is most prevalent on the awnings of riteaids in uptown and downtown new orleans RiteAids because the store did nto repalce the original purple awnings for the colors accociated with the Rite aid chain. Becaiuse K&B was a New orleans owned and run store  it was associated with new orleans and the city was sad to se the chain die and be bought out by a national chain. The purple color of the K&B stores was so bright and ubiquitiuosly associated with the store and thereforw with NO, that most new orleanians automatically associate the color with the city. It is  unique bit of slangbecaise of that historical and cultural connection with the city and the fact that the K&B chain did not exist outside of the city.

Informant info: (Left to Right) Sadhana Puri, age 20, Jessica Link, age 20, Alex Ledoux, age 21 all from New Orleans, LA

Transcript:

“Jessica: Do you guys like K and B, or like K and B purple.  Do you have your old people talk about that.

Alex: The store.  The grocery store.

Jessica: K and B used to be- Walgreens or Rite-aid bought all the K and B’s

Sadhana: Oh Yeah, but K and B was the local drug store.

Jessica: and it had an iconic purple color.  And so people will say like oh that’s K and B purple.  At least my grandma will,  She’ll point to something that’s the color purple and she’ll be like that’s “K and B purple.”  It’s not purple

Sadhana: That’s funny.”

 

Collector’s Comments:

 

Keywords: New Orleans, K&B, purple, Katz and Bestoff

“For” Versus “At”

Leave a reply

“For” Versus “At”

Informant: Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont. Collected May 22, 2016 and recorded on iphone

Verbal Lore: Folk Speech, Slang

English

United States of America

context: The word “for” is substitures for the word ” at when describing a time for a meeting or event.

transcript:

“ a few other things I noticed, If you have to meet somebody at a certain time, you would say you have to meet that person ‘for 2pm’ instead of ‘at 2pm.’”

Collector Commentary: This appears to simply be a colloquial quirk of NO English. it is unique because not many other places in the United States habitually use the term For instead of at when giving times for meetings and events.

Keyword: New Orleans, for, at, meeting times

Link

Dressed

Informant: Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont. Collected May 22, 2016 and recorded on iphone

Verbal Lore: Folk Speech, slang -associated: material Food Lore

English

United States of America

context:to have the traditional toppings of mayonaise, lettuce, and tomato put on a po’boy sandwich; the works

transcript:

“In New Orleans if you want a poboy sandwich with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise or with what other places would call the works, you say you want your sandwich ‘dressed.’”

Informant: Erin Fell, age 21,  New Orleans, LA (collected 5/22/16)

Transcript: “A po’boy, if it’s dressed, that means that it has the typical toppings on it like lettuce and tomato and all that good stuff. ”

Collector Commentary: This folk slang is associated with customary folklore of eating a Po’boy with certain traditional toppings.

Keywords: New Orleans, poboy, po’boy, poor boy, dressed, the works

 

Link

Down in the Parish

Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont. Collected May 22, 2016 and recorded on iphone

Verbal Lore: Folk Speech, slang

English

United States of America

context: to travel south along the Mississippi River

transcript:

“When you travel south down the Mississippi River towards the gulf. Lots of people would say you are going ‘down in the parish.”

Collector Commentary: The term is colloquial language to refer to going south along the river. Using down implies south and parish is the term for county, so by going down in the parish, you are traveling south along the river. It is unique to NO slang, because it is specifically referring to geographic features found only in NO and Southeastern Louisiana.

keywords: New Orleans, Parish, Mississippi River

Link

Crawfish

Informant Info: Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont. Collected May 22, 2016 and recorded on iphone.

Verbal Lore: Folk Speech, Slang- associated folk lore: Material Food Lore

English

United States of America

Context: a Crawfish is a small marine crustacean that looks like a mini-lobster. It has many other names, like crayfish, crawdad, and mudbug.

“cray fish are called ‘Crawfish’ down here ”

Informant Info: Caitlin Flint, age 21, Metairie, LA, collected on May 22, 2016 and recorded on an iphone.

“ The next bit of slang is another culinary one, it is a little bit more well known, but still enough that I think it  should be mentioned. The word ‘crawfish.’ Crawfish refers to a small marine animal that looms very similar to a lobster. It has a lot of different names, crawfish, crawdad, mudbug, crayfish.  I have heard crayfish more often than I have heard anything else when I have been outside the city of New Orleans, or rather the state of Louisiana, but I have always known it as crawfish, because  of the perennial  crawfish boils that occur in New Orleans, but crawfish is a Louisianan  slang word for that particular marine animal.”

Collector’s comments: Both informants agree that the term crawfish is used instead of the term crayfish. While they are related, mother and daughter,  and thus share similar vocabulary, both remark that crawfish is used mainly in New Orleans and southern Louisiana. It is also popular in other Deep South states along the Gulf Coast, and can be considered slang that is unique to that large region as a whole instead of solely in New Orleans. However, crawfish boils are specifically associated with Louisiana and New Orleans which places the word squarely in the category of New Orleans Slang.

Tags/Keywords: New Orleans, crawfish, crayfish, crawdad, mudbug

“Cold Drink/Coke”

Leave a reply

Cold drink/Coke

Informant Info: Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont.

verbal Lore: Folk speech, slang–associated Material, food lore

English

United States of America

Context: Carbponated beverage or Soda

Transcript (if verbal lore)

“ If you want a carbonated beverage or a soda to drink, you would ask for a ‘cold drink’ or for a ‘coke.’  The waitress will then come up and  ask you ‘What kind of coke do you want? Do you want a Sprite, a Barqs Root Beer or a Coca Cola.”

Collector’s comments: The two words are synonymous for soda. The term cold drink probably comes from the fact that soda is always served on ice or chilled in New Orleans because the climate is so hot and humid. As such, the slang term is unique to the area because it is so dependent on the city’s climate. The word coke developed into a general slang term because of the popularity of the Coca Cola brand in the city. while coca cola does not have a monopoly on the soda industry, it is highly prevalent and the company does make may different types of soda, such as Sprite or Barq’s root beer. It is a unique slang term to New Orleans because this popularity allowed the brand name to evolve into a general term, which is a phenomenon that doesn’t occur elsewhere in the United States.

Tags/Keywords- New Orleans, Coke,  Cold Drink, Soda, Carbonated beverage

“Cafe au’ Lait”

Leave a reply

Cafe Au’ Lait

Informant Info: Libby Flint, age 59, New Orleans resident of 36 years, originally from Upstate New York and Vermont. Collected May 22, 2016 via iphone.

Verbal Lore: Folk Speech, slang- associated with material food lore

English/ French

United States of America

Context: coffee with steamed milk, otherwise known as a latte in the rest of the US

 

 

Transcript:

“people  here drink Café au’laits rather then lattes”

Collector Commentary: The Cafe Au’ Lait  is the common term in NO for coffe with steamed milk. it is originally a french term and is used in french speaking canade and France as well as New Orleans. As a slang word it is not uniqe to NO within the world sphere, but it is unique to NO within contemporary American (United States of America) folk speech.

Keywords: coffee, latte, cafe au’ lait

 

“Brake Tag”

1 Reply

Brake Tag

Informant 1.Info: Caitlin Flint, age 21, Metairie, Louisiana. Collected May 22, 2016 on Iphone.

Verbal Lore; Folk Speech, slang

English

United States of America

Context: an inspection sticker for a car registered in the state of Louisiana. Needs to be annually renewed to  make sure the  car is in proper working order.

Transcript (if verbal lore)

“The third slang word is ‘brake tag.’ Brake tag is an inspection sticker that is given to you by the DMV- the Louisiana department of Motor Vehicles.  When your car has passed inspection and is able to be drived. You need to get it renewed every year or two. It is the exact same as an inspection sticker in any other state. I do not know why it is called Brake tag, but everyone I know has- everyone I know who is from New Orleans has always called it a brake tag, so  to use it in a sentence ‘oh, hey Dale,  I noticed that your brake tag was expired, you may want to go stop by the DMV to get a new one.’ That would  be about it.

 

Informant info: (Left to Right) Sadhana Puri, age 20, Jessica Link, age 20, Alex Ledoux, age 21 all from New Orleans, LA. Collected May 15, 2016 on iphone

“Alex: I looked up some things like what’s New Orleans slang, because I wasn’t sure what was slang and what was just normal. Brake tag was on that and I was just surprised that not everyone knows what a brake tag is.  It’s something you get on your car you put it in your windshield.  You have to get it changed every year, but like  I feel like they don’t necessarily check all the time.  You know you can get away with it.

Jessica: They don’t but also you can get a ticket. For having-

Alex: Yeah you can get a ticket so it’s like-

Jessica: I think they have them in some other states, but I don’t know what they’re called in other state.  But I knew that they were only called a brake tag in New Orleans or Louisiana

Alex: Really I did not

Sadhana: I thought it was all states, I thought it was just all states.  I thought it was just a general term.  It was surprising to me that it’s a New Orleans term.

Jessica: We have brake tag stations. There will be a sign that says brake tags, and I know what that means, it’s just on your car a sticker.

Jessica: I think other states, at least some have it, but I don’t know what they’re called.

Katelyn: Is it on the upper-

Alex: They check your brakes.

Katelyn: They check your brakes

Alex: Well they’re supposed to, but they usually just give you one

Jessica: Oh yeah this is that spelling of brake.

Alex: They’re supposed to check your car and make sure it’s like up to code or whatever the terminology is.

Jessica: It’s good

Katelyn: So it’s like uhm, shoot I forgot what it  is called.

Jessica: y’all have them

Katelyn: We do I forgot what it is called, it’s not called brake tag.

Sadhana: What do you call them.

Alex: What would it be called, I feel like brake tag is self explanatory.

Katelyn: It’s like registration you like update your tags.

Jessica: just a tag.

Katelyn: Tags.

Jessica: I think they might call them something else in like other places too, I’m not sure. Yeah.”

Collector’s comments: The term is so wide spread that most New orleanians don’t realize there is another term for the stickers, as such it is an entirely unique word to the city and a good example of New Orleans.

Tags/Keywords: New, Orleans Brake tag, car, Inspection sticker

Link

Beaucoup

Davaron Stockman, age 20, LaPlace, Lousiana. Collected on May 22, 2016 via iphone.

Verbal Lore: slang

Language: French

United States of America/ France

Comes from French phrase “merci beaucoup” or “thanks a lot”, typically used to mean “a lot or too much”

 

“Well, first off we have the word beaucoup. It is the French word for a lot. Growing up I would always hear my mom, um family members, use the word beaucoup in a way of saying there’s a lot of something. So, I would hear my mom say things like I have beaucoup money or you don’t have to worry about paying for that. I have beaucoup this, beaucoup that. Its just, Its just a word for a lot.”

Collector Commentary: The term is a French word that has been absorbed into colloqiuial New orleans English speech. As such, it is a french word that is used in French speaking places but,it is unique as a NO slang word beause it is used in English speech as a synonym for “a lot.”
Tags/ Keywords: Beaucoup, French, a lot,