topsy-turvy

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

topsy-turvy
    adv 1: in a disordered manner; "they were piled up higgledy-
           piggledy" [syn: {higgledy-piggledy}, {topsy-turvy}]
    2: in disorderly haste; "we ran head over heels toward the
       shelter" [syn: {head over heels}, {heels over head}, {topsy-
       turvy}, {topsy-turvily}, {in great confusion}]
    adj 1: in utter disorder; "a disorderly pile of clothes" [syn:
           {disorderly}, {higgledy-piggledy}, {hugger-mugger},
           {jumbled}, {topsy-turvy}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Topsy-turvy \Top"sy-tur"vy\, adv. [Earlier topside-turvey,
   topsy-tervy; probably for top so turvy; that is, the top as
   turvy, as it were turvy; where turvy probably means,
   overturned, fr. {AS}. torfian to throw.]
   In an inverted posture; with the top or head downward; upside
   down; as, to turn a carriage topsy-turvy.
   [1913 Webster]

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

19 Moby Thesaurus words for "topsy-turvy":
      backwards, chaotic, confused, disordered, disorderly, disorganized,
      every which way, head over heels, higgledy-piggledy, in a muddle,
      inverted, jumbled, messy, mixed-up, muddled, reversed, untidy,
      upside down, vice versa

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