Helter-Skelter: One of My Favorite Words

In a recent conversation with my daughter, I mentioned the word helter-skelter. She seemed confused and said, “You know that helter-skelter is a noun. Right?” I told her that it was an adverb. She went on to inform me that helter-skelter is a toy that is popular in the United Kingdom. The toy is a miniature version of a carnival ride with a slide that curves around a lighthouse. She also informed me that “Helter Skelter” is also a song by the Beatles. As a result of this conversation, I decided to look up the word and share what I learned.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, helter-skelter can be used as a noun, an adverb, and as an adjective. As a noun, it has two definitions “a disorderly confusion” and “a spiral around a tower at an amusement park.” As an adverb, it means “in undue haste, confusion, or disorder” and “in a haphazard manner.” As an adjective, helter-skelter is defined as “confusedly hurried” and “marked by a lack of order.”

The first known use of this word is as an adverb in 1953 in the sense of disorderly confusion. Regardless of how you choose to use it, I find helter-skelter to be a fun word and challenge you to find a way to use it soon.