helter-skelter

Meaning

Adv

In confused, disorderly haste.

Adj

Carelessly hurried and confused.

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) Confusion or turmoil.
2. (British, countable, uncountable) An amusement ride consisting of a slide that spirals down around the exterior of a tapering central tower.

Synonyms

in disorder

chaotic

pell-mell

topsy-turvy

confused

😕

turmoil

wildly

every which way

confusedly

disrupt

head over heels

hugger-mugger

hurly-burly

in all directions

in confusion

irregular

precipitate

precipitous

tumble

unorganized

hell-for-leather

hustle and bustle

slam-bang

in panic

milling around

at random

lickety split

back and forth

busily

chaotically

confusion

desperately

disordered

disorderly

fuss

headlong

Translations

holterdiepolter

atropelladamente

eilends

Hals über Kopf

schnell

wahllos

spiralförmige Rutsche

totales Durcheinander

wildes Durcheinander

schnell laufend

ανακατωσούρα

caòtic

désordonné

à la débandade

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌhɛltɚˈskɛltɚ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: skelten

In summary

In form a reduplication (similar to hurry-scurry and harum-scarum, both with initial /h-/ and /sk-/); perhaps based on Middle English skelten ("to hasten; to raise an alarm"), or maybe related to Old High German skeltan (“scold”) from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel- (“make noise, yell”), employed as a fossil word.