Ex-con almost pinched stealing a gift (9)
I believe the answer is:
lagniappe
'gift' is the definition.
(I know that lagniappe is a type of gift)
'ex-con almost pinched stealing a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'con' could be 'lag' (both can mean a convict) and 'lag' is found in the answer.
'a' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lagniappe that I've seen before include "tip" , "Gratuity" , "small donation" , "present" .)