loosey-goosey

comparative more loosey-goosey · comparative loosier-goosier · comparative loosey-goosier · superlative most loosey-goosey · superlative loosiest-goosiest · superlative loosey-goosiest · alternative loosey goosey · alternative loosy-goosy

1. CanadaUShobbiesrelaxedFirst known use 1940s

   They said that he couldn't hit International League pitching because he was too loosey-goosey at the plate.

   1946 July 8, “By Jim Coleman”, in The Globe and Mail

   1 more example

   “All these other guys are scared to death,” the pinch-hitter kept telling himself as he walked towards the plate, “I’m loosey-goosey, I’m loosey-goosey, I’m loosey-goosey.”

   1955, Trent Frayne, “Why Big-League Goalies CRACK Up”, in Maclean's, archived from the original on 09 Apr 2022

2. broadlyinformallaid back; disorganized; scattered

   I find the description wonderfully familiar, less the droogish quality, than the loosey-goosey opportunism.

   2004, Denis Wood, Five Billion Years of Global Change

   1 more example

   "Everything seemed to be real loosey-goosey," Mr. Williams said. "[…]I had lunch with him three times, and each time he said, 'Oh, I forgot to bring the papers.'"

   1991, Richard Perez-Pena, “Investment Manager Faces Charges of Securities Fraud”, in The New York Times