Catawampus
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Askew, out of alignment, or in a confused and irregular state. Current but regional, jocular, and semantically flexible Regional use: United States, especially regional and rural speech.
Origin
A deliberately comic American word in print by 1830, first glossed as obliquely or on a slant. Across the 19th century it also meant completely, excessive, ill-tempered, a strange illness, or an imaginary beast. Its precise formation is unknown; cater-corner and catamount may have influenced particular senses. Its stable feature is playful exaggeration, not one fixed literal source.
Variants
- catawampous
- cattywampus
- catawampusly
- catawampously
Usage Examples
- The shelf sits catawampus because one bracket is upside down.
- A gust left every chair in the courtyard cattywampus.
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