Haywire

I suppose an alternative explanation, assuming that haywire was a reasonably high strength carbon steel, and was typically constrained into a tighter coil than it wanted to be, that "haywire" is how it goes if you release some or all of the bindings that were keeping it coil-shaped.

I still rather like the original explanation, though.

In message , newshound writes

The stationary straw baler that came with the thrashing drum used this system. In operation, a slotted *U* shaped metal guide was manually inserted into the bale chamber while the ram was travelling back. Fresh wires were fed through the slots together with the ones from the previous bale which could then be tied off.

The last time I saw this system in use was around 1950!

It took around 12 years after that for it to die out in my part of England.

David

That sounds like an application which would use wire in a relatively soft condition, so perhaps more consistent with this explanation than the other. (Of course "hard" wire could still be softened for easier bodging by slinging it in a fire).