Junket

Word of the Day for Sunday, November 6, 2011 junket \JUHNG-kit\, noun: 1. A trip, usually by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information. 2. A sweet, custardlike food of flavored milk curdled with rennet. 3. A pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing. verb: 1. To go on a junket. 2. To entertain; feast; regale. Yeah, well, there's a lot more of them on the operation, fellows in the control room, women too. They all decided to go to California together on a junket. Whooping it up, you know? -- Patricia Highsmith, Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes Some lobbyists get together and put up money for a few congresspeople to go to a resort for a winter weekend. The catch is the lobbyists get to go along and talk to them. They usually call it a seminar or a symposium, but basically it's a junket. -- John Lutz, Final Seconds Junket is rooted in the Latin word juncata which meant “rush basket.” It is likely that the basket was associated with the notion of a picnic basket and came to signify a pleasure trip. Thanks to: http://www.dictionary.com/