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Hay-wire is the light wire that was used in baling machines to tie up bales of hay. At the turn of the 20th century the expression ‘a haywire outfit’ began to be used in the USA. This was used to describe companies that patched-up faulty machinery using such wire, rather than making proper long-term fixes.
The idiom going haywire has its origins in the literal use of baling wire, or a wire used to hold and bale hay for animal feed. When something goes wrong with baling hay, the wire can easily tangle or break, creating a mess to sort out. This type of incident and the practice of using hay wire to temporarily hold together equipment gave rise to ...
- English Teacher
Jul 5, 2017 · word histories. “ad fontes!”. meaning and origin of the phrase ‘to go haywire’. The literal meaning of the North-American noun haywire is wire for binding bales of hay, straw, etc. The earliest instance in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition – 1989) dates from 1917, but I have found one in The Ostrich as a Cavalry Horse, a ...
Nov 25, 2017 · “To go haywire” also means to start malfunctioning or failing to operate normally. We often use this expression for machines that don’t work as they should. For example, let’s say we are ...
- VOA Learning English
Sep 7, 2022 · A: Besides still being an actual wire used for hay, these days it can be used as an adjective to describe something in disorder. E.g. “a haywire production”. But the most common use is in the phrase “go haywire”– to be out of control. E.g. “Things started to go haywire as soon as Steve showed up.” Q: Steve really needs to stay away.
When things go wrong or out of control, they are said to go haywire. The expression originated in America in the early 20th century and its first use was to describe something that was makeshift or poorly constructed. The expression derives from the cheap, thin, throwaway wire that was used to bind hay bales and which easily got into tangles.
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Meaning: When something goes haywire, it is completely out of control and erratic. Country: International English | Subject Area: General | Usage Type: Both or All Words Used. Contributor: Lena. All idioms have been editorially reviewed, and submitted idioms may have been edited for correctness and completeness. « Previous: Go hand in hand.
