go haywire (redirected from haywire)

go haywire

Rur. to go wrong; to malfunction; to break down. I was talking to Mary when suddenly the telephone went haywire. I haven't heard from her since. There we were, driving along, when the engine went haywire. It was two hours before the tow truck came.

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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.

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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)