harum-scarum adjective

1. behaving in a wild and sometimes careless way
   More Like This Reduplicative wordsReduplicative words

   • airy-fairy
   • argy-bargy
   • chit-chat
   • criss-cross
   • dilly-dally
   • harum-scarum
   • helter-skelter
   • higgledy-piggledy
   • hocus-pocus
   • hoity-toity
   • hotchpotch
   • hurly-burly
   • itty-bitty
   • mumbo jumbo
   • mishmash
   • nitty-gritty
   • ping-pong
   • pitter-patter
   • shilly-shally
   • teeny-weeny
   • tittle-tattle
   • touchy-feely
   • wishy-washy
   Word Originlate 17th cent. (as an adverb): reduplication based on hare and scare.

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[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲

harum scarum
harum-scarum¹ adv., informal In a careless, disorderly or reckless way.
Jim does his homework harum-scarum, and that is why his schoolwork is so poor.
harum-scarum² adj., informal Careless, wild, or disorderly in one's acts or performance; reckless.
Jack is such a harum-scarum boy that you can never depend on him to do anything right.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲