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What's the origin of the phrase 'Go haywire'? Hay-wire is the light wire that was used in baling machines to tie up bales of hay. At the turn of the 20th century the expression ‘a haywire outfit’ began to be used in the USA.
When the adjective was first used in the early 20th century, it was primarily found in the phrase “haywire outfit,” which originally denoted a poorly equipped group of loggers, and then anything that was flimsy or patched together.
Sep 28, 2017 · definite article, late Old English þe, nominative masculine form of the demonstrative pronoun and adjective. After c.950, it replaced earlier se (masc.), seo (fem.), þæt (neuter), and probably represents se altered by the th- form which was used in all the masculine oblique cases.
Mar 12, 2014 · Haywire, also known as baling wire, is a thin, flexible metal wire used to bind together bales of hay. It also is used to raise blisters on your hands.
Aug 19, 2024 · haywire (comparative more haywire, superlative most haywire) Roughly-made, unsophisticated, decrepit (from the use of haywire for temporary repairs). Behaviorally erratic or uncontrollable, especially of a machine or mechanical process; usually used with the verb "go".
The expression originated in America in the early 20th century and its first use was to describe something that was makeshift or poorly constructed. The expression derives from the cheap, thin, throwaway wire that was used to bind hay bales and which easily got into tangles.
Jul 5, 2017 · From the practice of using hay-baling wire for makeshift repairs, ‘haywire’ came to mean crudely made, improvised, hence disorganised, erratic, crazy.
OED's earliest evidence for haywire is from 1905, in Terms used in Forestry and Logging. haywire is formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: hay n.1, wire n.1. See etymology.
The adjective 'haywire' likely originated in American slang during the early 20th century. It is believed to be rooted in the imagery of bales of hay and wire used in various machinery and systems. 'Haywire' describes a state of extreme disorder, chaos, or malfunction, often implying that something has gone completely awry or out of control.
HAYWIRE definition: 1. to stop working, often in a way that is very sudden and noticeable: 2. to stop working, often…. Learn more.
