DCHP-1 Online
haywire ((n.)) 
1 n. smooth, light flexible wire used for binding bales of hay or straw.
- 1919 . . . a number of small logging outfits that start with a ball of haywire and a number of small, dirty and evil smelling shacks. . . .
- 1957 . . . haywire is extinct on farms, its place being taken by binder twine. . . .
- 1965 He can break a single strand of haywire in a straight pull so at least two strands must be used, or a heavier wire.
2 adj. make-shift; temporary; hasty.
See also: gunnysack shaganappi ((adj.))
- 1954 Next morning we ran on into the Splits, and when we hit the fast water it became clear that the haywire repair job on the kicker was not going to stand up to this sort of thing.
- 1919 . . . a number of small logging outfits that start with a ball of haywire and a number of small, dirty and evil smelling shacks. . . .