helter-skelter

[ hel-ter-skel-ter ]
/ ˈhɛl tərˈskɛl tər /

adverb

in headlong and disorderly haste: The children ran helter-skelter all over the house.
in a haphazard manner; without regard for order: Clothes were scattered helter-skelter about the room.

adjective

carelessly hurried; confused: They ran in a mad, helter-skelter fashion for the exits.
disorderly; haphazard: Books and papers were scattered on the desk in a helter-skelter manner.

noun

tumultuous disorder; confusion.

Origin of helter-skelter

1585–95; rhyming compound, perhaps based on *skelt, Middle English skelten to hasten (< ?); reduplication with initial h parallel to hubble-bubble, higgledy-piggledy, etc.

Words nearby helter-skelter

Example sentences from the Web for helter-skelter

British Dictionary definitions for helter-skelter

helter-skelter
/ (ˈhɛltəˈskɛltə) /

adjective

haphazard or carelessly hurried

adverb

in a helter-skelter manner

noun

British a high spiral slide, as at a fairground
disorder or haste

Word Origin for helter-skelter

C16: probably of imitative origin