cattywampus
adjective

- askew, awry; not in proper alignment.

- slightly off-kilter or imperfect; crooked.

- going badly, awkwardly, or in the wrong direction.

Merriam-Webster, Dictionary com, Cambridge Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

This is one of English's most delightfully obscure etymologies, with no certain origin but several compelling theories.

Theory 1: "Cater" + "Wampus” (or "cater-cornered"):
- From obsolete English "cater" (four)
- From French "quatre" (four)
- From Latin "quattuor" (four)
- Originally meant "diagonal" or "diagonal corner" (as in moving diagonally across four corners)
"Wampus":
- Possibly from "wampish" (to wave or flop about)
Combined meaning: Diagonally askew, catty-corner but more exaggerated.

Theory 2: Scottish Influence
"Catty":
- Possibly from Scots "cateran" (Highland marauder, brigand)
- Suggesting something wild, unruly, or out of order
"Wampus":
- Could relate to dialectal words meaning "to wave" or "to wobble".

Primary meanings:
1. Diagonal, askew, awry: "The picture is hanging cattywampus"
2. Out of alignment: "The whole plan went cattywampus"
3. Diagonally opposite: "Their houses are cattywampus from each other"
4. In disarray: "The room was all cattywampus after the party"

The word remains primarily dialectal—used in Southern and Midwestern American English, often with affectionate or humorous intent. It's experiencing a minor revival in informal writing and social media as people rediscover colourful regional vocabulary.

Cattywampus belongs to a class of expressive American folk words that prioritize sound and feeling over etymological clarity. Like "bamboozle" or "kerfuffle," its origin matters less than its evocative power.

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SYNONYMS

all over the place, aslant, askew, at sixes and sevens, awry, CATTYWAMPUS, cater-cornered, cockeyed, crooked, diagonal, every which way, gone topsy-turvy, higgledy-piggledy, in a muddle, listing badly, lopsided, oblique, off-kilter, off the beam, out of alignment (joint, whack), pitched wrong, skew, skewed sideways, slanted, squint, tilted, topsy-turvy, twisted up, unbalanced, uneven, wonky

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“There’s a photo on my desk sitting CATTYWAMPUS in its frame,… it’s driving me nuts!”


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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D