Jerrell in San Antonio, Texas, is curious about the term helter-skelter, meaning “haphazardly.” English is full of such reduplicatives, also called rhyming jingles, flip-flop words, or echo words. They fall into three categories: one...
You’ve been reading a book but you’re just not into it. How do you quit it, guilt-free? How do you break up with a book? Also, what do you ask for when you go through the grocery checkout line: bag, sack, or something else? Plus, brung...
Will, a listener from South Burlington, Vermont, says he always considered willy-nilly to be his own special phrase. But he’s realized over the years that its original meaning has been replaced. What was originated as will I, nill I or will he, nill...
hully-gully adj. haphazard, disorganized, inconsistent, loosey-goosey. Also adverb, willy-nilly, pell-mell, helter-skelter, and noun, hustle and bustle, hurly-burly, hullabaloo. Editorial Note: This term is common in basketball and other sports...