I. |heltə(r)|skeltə(r) adverb
Etymology: imitative
1. : in headlong disorder : pell-mell
ran helter-skelter, getting in each other's way — F.V.W.Mason
2. : in random order : haphazardly
magazines stacked helter-skelter on tables — T.H.White b. 1915
II. noun
( -s )
1. : a disorderly confusion : turmoil
the horses set off in a wild helter-skelter — J.M.Synge
helter-skelter of conflict, emotion, and group activity — John Gould
2. : an external spiral slide around a tower in an amusement park
III. adjective
1. : confused and hurried : precipitate
most companies are plagued with helter-skelter disorder when that five o'clock whistle blows — Modern Industry
2.
a. : hit-or-miss : haphazard
shocked at the helter-skelter arrangement of the papers, all mussed and frayed — Jean Stafford
the helter-skelter nondirectional nature of the discussion — John Withall
b. : flighty , scatterbrained
helter-skelter attitude of the younger generation — Erle Stanley Gardner