go haywire

0.04 sec.

go haywire (informal)

if a system or machine goes haywire, it stops working as it should and starts working in a way that is completely wrong. My CD player goes haywire every time my neighbour uses his cordless phone.

go haywire

to behave or work in a crazy or disorderly way. The system went haywire, and they charged her 71 times for a $50 check. She arrived at work early, hoping to get a lot done, but within minutes things went haywire.

Etymology: based on the idea that something is in such bad condition that it has to be held together with haywire (= wire used to tie together dried grasses)

?Page tools

Printer friendly

Cite / link

Feedback

Your Ad Here

? References in periodicals archive
But if the engineers pulled in the protruding track, the calculations that kept the train moving on the track would go haywire. Wheeee! Climb aboard Expedition Everest Disney's newest adventure ride by Chiang, Mona / Science World They cause a person's immune system to go haywire and attack healthy tissue. Auto exposure: do immune system diseases have an environmental cause? by Knopper, Melissa / E But the brain's biology begins to go haywire long before symptoms of serious mental decline or outright Alzheimer's become evident. Delaying dementia: drugs that fail as cures might still prevent ... by Harder, Ben / Science News More results

References in periodicals archive

But if the engineers pulled in the protruding track, the calculations that kept the train moving on the track would go haywire.

Wheeee! Climb aboard Expedition Everest Disney's newest adventure ride by Chiang, Mona / Science World

They cause a person's immune system to go haywire and attack healthy tissue.

Auto exposure: do immune system diseases have an environmental cause? by Knopper, Melissa / E

But the brain's biology begins to go haywire long before symptoms of serious mental decline or outright Alzheimer's become evident.

Delaying dementia: drugs that fail as cures might still prevent ... by Harder, Ben / Science News

More results

Idioms browser

Full browser

go for broke
go for the jugular
go from bad to worse
go from rags to riches
go from strength to strength
go great guns
go hand in hand

go haywire
go head to head
go hell for leather
go hog wild
go in circles
go in one ear and out the other
go into a tailspin
go into detail

Free Tools:	For surfers: Browser extension \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content NEW! \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup \| Partner with us

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.