Definition
A taxpayer-funded trip disguised as fact-finding where legislators research important issues like French wine policy from a château in Bordeaux. It's business class travel justified by a perfunctory meeting and expense reports that would make fiction writers jealous.
Example Usage
The congressional delegation's junket to Hawaii to study climate change included five days at luxury resorts and one afternoon of actual meetings.
Origin
From medieval 'jonket' meaning cream cheese, later referring to feasts, evolving to mean pleasure trips by the 19th century
Fun Fact
Some legislators have taken junkets to study healthcare in tropical resorts and agriculture on Caribbean islands, because apparently expertise grows on palm trees.
Related Terms
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See “junket” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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