I. ˌhel-tər-ˈskel-tər adverb
Etymology: perhaps from Middle English skelten to come, go
Date: 1593
1. : in undue haste, confusion, or disorder
ran helter-skelter , getting in each other's way — F. V. W. Mason
2. : in a haphazard manner
II. noun
Date: 1713
1. : a disorderly confusion : turmoil
2. British : a spiral slide around a tower at an amusement park
III. adjective
Date: 1708
1. : confusedly hurried : precipitate
2. : marked by a lack of order or plan : haphazard
the helter-skelter arrangement of the papers, all mussed and frayed — Jean Stafford