go haywire, to

go haywire

1. To start malfunctioning or having problems. Well, the coffee pot has gone haywire yet again. Maybe it's time to get a new one.2. To become irrational or crazy. I'll end up going haywire if I have to work in this cubicle for one more day!See also: go, 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.See also: go, haywire

go haywire

Become wildly confused, out of control, or crazy. For example, The plans for the party have gone haywire, or His enemies accused the mayor of going haywire. This term alludes to the wire used for bundling hay, which is hard to handle and readily tangled. [First half of 1900s] See also: go, haywire

go ˈhaywire

(informal) go out of control; start functioning or behaving in a very strange way: My printer’s gone haywire. It keeps stopping and starting.See also: go, haywire

go haywire

1. in. [for a person] to go berserk. Sorry, I guess I just went haywire for a minute. 2. in. [for something] to go out of order; to break down. I’m afraid my car’s gone haywire. It won’t start. See also: go, haywire

go haywire, to

To run amok; to become hopelessly entangled or to break down. There are two theories as to the origin of this term, which is originally American. One holds that it came from the practice of using old baling wire to make repairs, a makeshift solution at best. The other, upheld by H. L. Mencken, says it refers to the difficulty of handling coils of wire used for bundling hay, which readily become entangled.See also: go