Skip to content

Table of Contents

he word for today is…

higgledy-piggledy (adv) – In utter disorder or confusion.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : We really have no idea where higgledy-piggledy came from, but we do know it’s a perfect demonstration of English speakers’ fondness for reduplication—that is, for forming new words by repetition of a base word often with a slight change of sound. In this case, the base word might actually be the second term, which encompasses the word pig and calls to mind the association of pigs with disorderliness. Although we don’t know when exactly higgledy-piggledy first appeared in print, we do know that the word has been around since before 1600. John Florio’s A Worlde of Wordes, an English-Italian dictionary first published in 1598, used higgledy-piggley as a defining term for the Italian word alla rinfusa, along with two other examples of reduplication, pell-mell and helter-skelter.

Latest

This Could Be a Trap

This Could Be a Trap

The law makes it clear: parliament could abolish the Māori seats tomorrow with a simple majority – no referendum needed, no special entrenchment – yet a politically convenient referendum is being offered instead.

Members Public
This Is Just Bull

This Is Just Bull

You’re much better off visualising how you’re going to get there.  But then that would mean actual work.

Members Public