Green’s Dictionary of Slang

in a mess, incoherent.

[1868		J.C. Atkinson Gloss. Cleveland Dialect 10: Arsey-varsey . Topsey-turvey, in confusion, contrariwise].
1937		J. Romains [trans. J. LeClerq] Boys in the Back Room 240: [Y]our tragic victims, arsey-turvey, still search about them for the shadow of the hand that laid them low.
1962		L. Davidson Rose of Tibet 49: ‘Sorry I was a bit abrupt this morning. There’s a big load in and the boys get things arsey-turvey if you take your eyes off for a minute’.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 11/1: arsy-tarsy all tangled up and topsy turvy; variant of ‘arsy-versy’; eg ‘This essay is all arsy-tarsy. You’re going to have to rip it up and start again.’.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].