hig·gle·dy-pig·gle·dy

(hĭg′əl-dē-pĭg′əl-dē)

adv.

In utter disorder or confusion.

adj.

Topsy-turvy; jumbled.

See double dactyl.

[Origin unknown.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

higgledy-piggledy

(ˈhɪɡəldɪˈpɪɡəldɪ)

adj, adv

in a jumble

a muddle

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hig•gle•dy-pig•gle•dy

(ˈhɪg əl diˈpɪg əl di)

adv.

1. in a jumbled, confused, or disorderly manner; helter-skelter.

adj.

2. confused; jumbled.

[1590–1600; rhyming compound of uncertain orig.]

higgledy-piggledy

- Probably formed from pig and the animal's suggestions of mess and disorder.

higgledy-piggledy

(Informal)

adjective

1. haphazard, muddled, jumbled, indiscriminate, topsy-turvy, helter-skelter, pell-mell books stacked in higgledy-piggledy piles on the floor

adverb

1. haphazardly, all over the place, anyhow, topsy-turvy, helter-skelter, all over the shop (informal), pell-mell, confusedly, any old how boulders tossed higgledy-piggledy as though by some giant

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

higgledy-piggledy

adjective

Characterized by physical confusion:

chaotic, confused, disordered, helter-skelter, topsy-turvy, upside-down.

Informal: mixed-up.

Translations

higgledy-piggledy

[ˈhɪgldɪˈpɪgldɪ]

A. ADV [be] → en desorden; [do] → de cualquier modo, a la buena de Dios

B. ADJ → revuelto, desordenado

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

higgledy-piggledy

adv → durcheinander, wie Kraut und Rüben (inf)

adj → durcheinander; (= confused) → wirr

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

higgledy-piggledy

[ˈhɪgldɪˈpɪgldɪ]

1. adj → buttato/a alla rinfusa

2. adv → alla rinfusa

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Prince Alphabet turned topsy-turvy, I call him, for his name's got all the letters in it, higgledy-piggledy.'

View in context

Higgledy-piggledy developments surrounding the park have created a legacy of neighbourhoods prone to crime and grim-faced despondency, whilst stifling a potentially splendid open air amenity.

What's On: A Walk In The Park: SENNELEYS PARK, BARTLEY GREEN Senneleys isn't premier league

Dai Country by Alun Richards But the outline to which I awoke was the view from my bedroom window, my back to the Rhondda, seeing the town below me, a higgledy-piggledy collection of awkward jutting buildings, some big, some small, some minute and whitewashed like pieces of confectionery, some Victorian in style, some Rhondda baronial with forests of drainpipes and guttering, some straight marzipan Cardiff Rialto, the whole a representation of architectural untidiness that looked as if the entire town had been carelessly dropped from the sky and had come together by accident around the leaden river which trailed like a black slug through the centre.

Dai Country

"He had a fun day against us but we were a bit higgledy-piggledy that day.

STRACHAN RULES OUT ITALIAN JOB; FOOTBALL: No man-marker for Di Canio

Other advanced industrial nations have far better inter-city and commuter services than the UK, although few countries are as crowded or have such higgledy-piggledy Victorian train lines to deal with.

Rail plans welcome - but there's much more to do; COMMENT

31, and then a gap, a rubble of bomb sites, higgledy-piggledy with lime and bricks and jagged half-burned timber sprouting buddleia and nettles, all the way to number 37.

way out west

Much to my father's disgust the higgledy-piggledy pageant was a great success.

MORNING SERIAL

Spoon the mixture on to the cut sides of the peaches, leaving it slightly higgledy-piggledy.

Greek-style yoghurt ETON MESS; FOOD&DRINK A brand-new recipe book shows how we can cut the cost of food shopping without compromising on flavour..

As well as outdoor adventure, it has many attractions; beaches to suit all tastes, a higgledy-piggledy old town, and the Paula Rego Modern Art Museum dedicated to the venerable Portuguese painter.

All aboard for adventure A

A big selling point is that the rooms are larger than most hotels due to the quirky design (ie higgledy-piggledy - memorise the way to your room!).

HOTEL of the week; TOWNHOUSE HOTEL MANCHESTER

England's build-up has been higgledy-piggledy as club finals ate into their preparation time, meaning the seven players involved in Saturday's Champions League final will not train with the squad until today.

Euro rivalry won't affect Three Lions insists Kane

England's build-up has been higgledy-piggledy as European finals ate into their preparation time, meaning the seven players involved in Saturday's Champions League final will not train with the squad until today.

Harry: Club enemies will unite for England

Adj.	1.	higgledy-piggledy - in utter disorder; "a disorderly pile of clothes" hugger-mugger, jumbled, topsy-turvy, disorderly untidy - not neat and tidy; "careless and untidy in her personal habits"; "an untidy living room"; "untidy and casual about money"
Adv.	1.	higgledy-piggledy - in a disordered manner; "they were piled up higgledy-piggledy" topsy-turvy