haywire

American  

[hey-wahy^uhr] / ˈheɪˌwaɪər /

noun

1. wire used to bind bales of hay.

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adjective

Informal.

1. in disorder.

   The town is haywire because of the bus strike.

2. out of control; disordered; crazy.

   The car went haywire. He's been haywire since he got the bad news.

haywire British  

/ ˈheɪˌwaɪə /

adjective

1. (of things) not functioning properly; disorganized (esp in the phrase go haywire )

2. (of people) erratic or crazy

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haywire Idioms  

1. see go haywire.

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Etymology

Origin of haywire

First recorded in 1900–05; hay + wire

Example Sentences

Investors’ options bets on price swings have surged in recent days to their highest levels in years, according to Cboe Global Markets data, far surpassing when markets went haywire after Russia’s full-on invasion of Ukraine.

From The Wall Street Journal

One sign buyers are desperate to get their hands on crude that can bypass Hormuz is the fact that prices on either side of the strait have gone haywire.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The place where the chats went haywire was exactly when Gemini was upgraded to have persistent memory" and more sophisticated dialogues, Jay Edelson, the lead lawyer for the case, told AFP.

From Barron's

Well, I amended, they hadn’t exactly seen it, since enough of the original time travelers had had the conscience and forethought to realize what was happening and fix things before everything went too haywire.

From Literature

His mind buzzing, the threads on his arms going haywire like they didn’t know which way to point.

From Literature