Definition:
: in a rash or heedless way: recklessly
About the Word:
Harum-scarum dates from the end of the 17th century, and is thought to possibly be an alteration of our old friend helter-skelter. The word with the -rum ending seems to have not struck quite the same chord as the one ending with -elter. Helter-skelter has been thoroughly interwoven in our culture, lending itself to the title of at least one very popular song (by the Beatles), a number of books (including several about the Manson murders), and a handful of movies.
Harum-scarum, on the other hand, can boast of a single movie title to its credit: a 1965 vehicle for Elvis Presley which is described by IMDb.com in the following manner: "American singer Johnny Tyrone is enlisted by sinister forces to assassinate an Arab king whose daughter he has fallen in love with."
Example:
"Upon the whole, sir, it is a pestilential topsey-turvey, harum scarum whirligig." — Newbern Spectator, 24 July 1830
