[hel.ter-skel.ter] adv [perh. fr. ME skelten to come, go] (1593) 1: in undue haste, confusion, or disorder "ran ~, getting in each other's way --F. V. W. Mason"
2: in a haphazard manner
[2]helter-skelter n (1713) 1: a disorderly confusion: turmoil
2. Brit: a spiral slide around a tower at an amusement park [3]helter-skelter adj (1785) 1: confusedly hurried: precipitate
2: marked by a lack of order or plan: haphazard "the ~ arrangement of the papers, all mussed and frayed --Jean Stafford"