I am probably showing my age, but the first thing that pops to mind when I see the term helter-skelter is the song of that title by The Beatles (see YouTube clip below).
Well, I also think of the murderer Charles Manson (ack!)... which also probably shows my age.
However, the phrase go way way back... many centuries, in fact.
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The definition from my copy of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Tenth edition) gives definitions for its use as a noun, an adjective, and an adverb.... take your choice!
- noun — 1. a disorderly confusion: turmoil; 2. a spiral slide around a tower at an amusement park (<--now I understand The Beatles song a little better!).
- adjective — 1. confusedly hurried: precipitate; 2. marked by a lack of order or plan: haphazard.
- adverb — 1. in undue haste, confusion, or disorder; 2. in a haphazard manner.
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| Helter-skelter! [By Steve F, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13743455] |
As for the years of first use? How about 1713 for the noun, 1785 for the adjectival form, and 1593 for the adverb!
I shouldn't be surprised, because now I also recall that Shakespeare used it... although I had to go digging to find out where (Henry IV, Part II).
The Phrase Finder has a nifty post on helter-skelter, which is sort-of, semi-related to harum-scarum, hurly-burly, and pell-mell.
Finally, as promised, here is your musical interlude, straight from '68.
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