higgledy-piggledy
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higgledy-piggledy¹
- /ˈhɪɡəldiˌpɪɡəldi/
Where it comes from
A reduplicated rhyming compound. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests a possible link to pig, since the animals huddle in irregular groups, but notes that the connection is uncertain. First use appears c. 1598. The first part of the old alternative form, hoggledy-piggledy, may derive from the archaic Welsh hogldy, a hovel.
adjective more higgledy-piggledy · most higgledy-piggledy · higgledypiggledy · hoggledy-piggledy · hoggledy-poggledy · huggledy-piggledy
-
In utter disorder or confusion; mixed up.
I can't find your memo since my desk is all higgledy-piggledy.
Similar: disordered, disorderly, hugger-mugger, jumbled, topsy-turvy, raggle-taggle
adverb more higgledy-piggledy · most higgledy-piggledy · higgledypiggledy · hoggledy-piggledy · hoggledy-poggledy · huggledy-piggledy
-
In a confused, disordered, or random way.
There is no kind of arrangement as regards the buildings they are erected "higgledy-piggledy;" backs to fronts, anyhow, with narrow passages between.
Similar: willy-nilly
noun higgledy-piggledies · higgledypiggledy · hoggledy-piggledy · hoggledy-poggledy · huggledy-piggledy
-
A disordered jumble; a confusion.
A Higgledy-Piggledy of Controversies and Opinions on various intereſting Subjects
Similar: hodgepodge
higgledy-piggledy²
- /ˈhɪɡəldiˌpɪɡəldi/
Where it comes from
Self-reference to the form of the word higgledy-piggledy.
noun higgledy-piggledies · higgledypiggledy · hoggledy-piggledy · hoggledy-poggledy · huggledy-piggledy
- A double-dactyl; a short poem with eight lines in dactylic meter. Higgledy-piggledies are more sophisticated than clerihews: they comprise double dactyls and rhymes and aren't always biographical.
- Any of various word games using rhyming compounds or dactylic words or phrases. The games are a bit archaically presented, but they include palindromes, acrostics, higgledy-piggledies, anagrams, etc.
Translations
Every language
adj in disorder
| Français | pêle-mêle, en désordre |
|---|
adv in a disordered way
| 한국어 | 뒤죽박죽 dwijukbakjuk |
|---|---|
| Français | pêle-mêle, en désordre |
| Italiano | alla rinfusa, a catafascio |
| Ελληνικά | φύρδην μίγδην fýrdin mígdin, άνω κάτω áno káto, άρτζι μπούρτζι και λουλάς ártzi boúrtzi kai loulás |
Talk about this word "higgledy-piggledy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/higgledy-piggledy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. higgledy-piggledy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/higgledy-piggledy "higgledy-piggledy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/higgledy-piggledy.Cite this
@misc{higgledy_piggledy_2026,
title = {higgledy-piggledy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/higgledy-piggledy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
