higgledy-piggledy
/ˈhɪɡəldiˌpɪɡəldi/ adjective, adverb, noun
Forms higgledy-piggledies higgledypiggledy hoggledy-piggledy hoggledy-poggledy huggledy-piggledy
- adjective (slang) In utter disorder or confusion; mixed up. “I can't find your memo since my desk is all higgledy-piggledy.”
- adverb (slang) In a confused, disordered, or random way.
- noun A disordered jumble; a confusion.
- noun A double-dactyl; a short poem with eight lines in dactylic meter.
- noun Any of various word games using rhyming compounds or dactylic words or phrases.
Synonyms
disordered disorderly hugger-mugger jumbled topsy-turvy raggle-taggle willy-nilly hodgepodge
Etymology
A reduplicated rhyming compound. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests a possible link to pig, since the animals huddle in irregular groups, but notes that the connection is uncertain. First use appears c. 1598. The first part of the old alternative form, hoggledy-piggledy, may derive from the archaic Welsh hogldy, a hovel.
Self-reference to the form of the word higgledy-piggledy.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “higgledy-piggledy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details