word choice - What is the difference between "jaunt" and "excursion", "trip" and "outing"? Can we say "secretive outing" or "secretive absence"?


I found the following sentence in today's New York Times. Apparently, secretive jaunt of New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg sounds to carry some speculations. And for a foreign English learner like me, jaunt seems to be a 'less well-worn' word (Is this expression right?). What is the difference of meaning among jaunt, excursion, outing, trip, and journey?



Mayoral Sign-Out Sheet? Secretive Jaunts Spur a Thought: Angered by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's refusal to say where he was during the December blizzard, lawmakers may consider requiring mayors to acknowledge absences.




Answer



A jaunt is



A short trip or excursion, usually for pleasure; an outing.



The meaning is that Bloomberg was off having fun somewhere while the city endured a miserable blizzard.


Oh, and among the rest of the synonyms:



  • trip is the common term that defines some kind of "going out"

  • excursion is simply a trip of some kind

  • outing is a trip that is (usually) taken for pleasure

  • journey is a long trip of some kind; it's defined as any kind of trip, but the implication is that it may be arduous and often discoveries are made along the way


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