I. |hərlē|bərlē, |hə̄lē|bə̄lē, |həilē|bəilē, -li|...li noun
( -es )
Etymology: probably alteration & reduplication of hurling (gerund of hurl ) (I)
1. : confusion , turmoil , tumult , uproar
through all the hurly-burly of the days immediately preceding election — A.D.H.Smith
men and women relaxing after a hard day in the hurly-burly of the garment district — Al Hine
delighted in the hurly-burly of her uninhibited conversation — Ellery Sedgwick
2. : an act or instance of tumult : melee
in the hurly-burly the poet is seized by the enemy — Donald Davidson
II. adjective
: tumultuous , confused
outrageous clothes and hurly-burly antics — G.E.Fox
III. adverb
obsolete : in a hurly-burly manner