Advertisement

harum-scarum (adv.)

1670s (harum-starum), probably a rhyming compound of obsolete hare (v.) "harry" + scare (v.), with 'um as a reduced form of them, the whole perhaps meant to be mock Latin. As an adjective from 1751; as a noun, "reckless person," from 1784.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of harum-scarum from WordNet
1
harum-scarum (n.)
a reckless impetuous irresponsible person;
2
harum-scarum (adv.)
in a wild or reckless manner;
dashing harum-scarum all over the place
Synonyms: pell-mell
3
harum-scarum (adj.)
cheerfully irresponsible;
had a harum-scarum youth
Synonyms: carefree / devil-may-care / freewheeling / happy-go-lucky / slaphappy
From wordnet.princeton.edu