hurry-scurry

American  

[hur-ee-skur-ee, huhr-ee-skuhr-ee] / ˈhɜr iˈskɜr i, ˈhʌr iˈskʌr i /

Or hurry-skurry

noun

1. headlong, disorderly haste; hurry and confusion.

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adverb

1. with hurrying and scurrying.

2. confusedly; in a bustle.

adjective

1. characterized by headlong, disorderly flight or haste.

hurry-scurry British  

adverb

1. in frantic haste

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adjective

1. hasty and disorderly

noun

1. disordered haste

verb

1. to rush about in confusion

Etymology

Origin of hurry-scurry

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

Having been chased hurry-scurry from Kiangsi Province right to the suburbs of Changsha, Hunan, the Chinese turned around and, with a fury they have never shown before, lashed the Japanese back and back.

From Time Magazine Archive

The streets were filled with the hurry-scurry of a moving army, splashing through mud puddles.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

The hurry-scurry, the angry hum of recent weeks had departed; a quivering stillness now permeated the premises.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

There is a gathering up of bags, a hasty shuffling of feet, the usual hurry-scurry of laggards, and in a few moments two motionless lines stand at attention.

From Peeps At Many Lands: Australia by Spence, Percy F. S. (Percy Frederick Seaton)

"Why all the hurry-scurry this bright and summer day?"

From The Rider of Golden Bar by White, William Patterson

Related Words

• chaotic
• haphazard
• hurried