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Collins defines catawampus (US, dialectal) variously as askew; awry and going badly, awkwardly, or in the wrong direction.

But in OP's specific context, I suggest higgledy-piggledy (mixed up and in no particular order) is a better known alternative (that's a link to a usage chart showing just how much better known! :)


FWIW, I'd never encountered cattywampus before now, but it strikes me as a tongue-in-cheek derivative of wampum, which I think reflects badly on the treatment of native Americans. So I wouldn't use it anyway. If not higgledy-piggledy then topsy-turvy. But that tends to imply random orientation in three dimensions (including Up/Down) - which can apply with higgledy-piggledy, but doesn't have to.

Collins defines catawampus (US, dialectal) variously as askew; awry and going badly, awkwardly, or in the wrong direction.

But in OP's specific context, I suggest higgledy-piggledy (mixed up and in no particular order) is a better known alternative (that's a link to a usage chart showing just how much better known! :)

Collins defines catawampus (US, dialectal) variously as askew; awry and going badly, awkwardly, or in the wrong direction.

But in OP's specific context, I suggest higgledy-piggledy (mixed up and in no particular order) is a better known alternative (that's a link to a usage chart showing just how much better known! :)


FWIW, I'd never encountered cattywampus before now, but it strikes me as a tongue-in-cheek derivative of wampum, which I think reflects badly on the treatment of native Americans. So I wouldn't use it anyway. If not higgledy-piggledy then topsy-turvy. But that tends to imply random orientation in three dimensions (including Up/Down) - which can apply with higgledy-piggledy, but doesn't have to.

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FumbleFingers
  • 74.6k
  • 4
  • 102
  • 204

Collins defines catawampus (US, dialectal) variously as askew; awry and going badly, awkwardly, or in the wrong direction.

But in OP's specific context, I suggest higgledy-piggledy (mixed up and in no particular order) is a better known alternative (that's a link to a usage chart showing just how much better known! :)