JAUNTING-CAR, a light two-wheeled carriage for a single horse, in its
commonest form with seats for four persons placed back to back, with the
foot-boards projecting over the wheels. It is the typical conveyance for
persons in Ireland (see CAR). The first part of the word is generally
taken to be identical with the verb "to jaunt," now only used in the
sense of to go on a short pleasure excursion, but in its earliest uses
meaning to make a horse caracole or prance, hence to jolt or bump up and
down. It would apparently be a variant of "jaunce," of the same meaning,
which is supposed to be taken from O. Fr. _jancer_. Skeat takes the
origin of jaunt and jaunce to be Scandinavian, and connects them with
the Swedish dialect word _ganta_, to romp; and he finds cognate bases in
such words as "jump," "high jinks." The word "jaunty," sprightly,
especially used of anything done with an easy nonchalant air, is a
corruption of "janty," due to confusion with "jaunt." "Janty," often
spelt in the 17th and 18th centuries "janté" or "jantee," represents the
English pronunciation of Fr. _gentil_, well-bred, neat, spruce.
JAUREGUI, JUAN (1562-1582), a Biscayan by birth, was in 1582 in the
service of a Spanish merchant, Gaspar d'Anastro, who was resident at
Antwerp. Tempted by the reward of 80,000 ducats offered by Philip II. of
Spain for the assassination of William the Silent, prince of Orange, but
being himself without courage to undertake the task, d'Anastro, with the
help of his cashier Venero, persuaded Jauregui to attempt the murder for
the sum of 2877 crowns. On Sunday the 18th of March 1582, as the prince
came out of his dining-room Jauregui offered him a petition, and William
had no sooner taken it into his hand than Jauregui fired a pistol at his
head. The ball pierced the neck below the right ear and passed out at
the left jaw-bone; but William ultimately recovered. The assassin was
killed on the spot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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