Chrysti the Wordsmith > Radio Scripts

"To go haywire" means to become confused, malfunction, or just plain go wrong. And a "haywire outfit" is an operation that's poorly managed or running with shoddy equipment.

This colorful term was invented by American English speakers in the 19th century. It had been a part of the American parlance for decades before it was formally discussed in a publication called The Forestry Bureau Bulletin in 1905. "'Haywire outfit'" read the Bulletin, is "a contemptuous term for loggers with poor...equipment." It was not uncommon for early logging outfits to repair faulty machinery with the wire used to bind hay for the camp's horses.

As a temporary mend for a broken fence, horse harness or machine, haywire was apt to break under the slightest stress, in turn causing more vexation and confusion. Farmers and other workers used recycled haywire to compensate for poor planning, antiquated equipment, or poverty. Thus, humble haywire has come to linguistically represent confusion, disorganization, and frustration.

Radio Script > Haywire