Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. of a person, short and thick.

1864, 1867, 1870

Hotten Sl. Dict.

2. (US) generally down on one’s luck, tiresome, incompetent, foolish, ridiculous, ill; occas. of events (see cite 1894).

1882		G.A. Sala in Living London (1883) Sept. 383: No more of [...] ‘humpty-dumpty,’ ‘topsy-turvey,’ ‘harum-scarum,’ ‘hodge-podge,’ ‘higgledy-piggledy,’ or ‘rusty-fusty.’ That way madness lies.
1894		Arnold & LeBrunn [perf. Gus Elen] ‘The Coster’s Muvver’ 🎵 When trade’s been rarver ’umpty, and I’ve lost my bloomin luck.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 37: Humpty-Dumpty, all of a heap.
1927		R.S. Gold ‘Miscellaneous Notes’ in AS III:2 167: Humpty Dumpty: No good.
1934		P. Allingham Cheapjack 282: The weather was so blinkin’ umpty.
1940		J.G. Brandon Gang War 191: ’E used to be on the Regent Street rank but his keb, which ’e owns ’isself, got a bit too ’umpty for West End work.
1943		M. Harrison Reported Safe Arrival 49: We had to stick it [...] Harry came up. He said: ‘It’s a bit ’umpty, ain’t it? But you wait, Perfesser, w’en we gets ter the sunshine.’.
1980		(con. 1930s) Barltrop & Wolveridge Muvver Tongue 18: Euphemistically, things are ‘a bit humpty’ with him (this phrase is also used to indicate serious ill-health).
2000		Guardian Editor 10 Mar. 15: It’s all gone Humpty Dumpty down the middle.