
A variant spelling of catawampus. This passage is from useless etymology site:
It first appeared as a noun (catawampus) in Dickens‘ Martin Chuzzlewit (1843), though it probably was first recorded as a noun in American works shortly before that. In that sense, it suggested some sort of hobgoblin or other frightening fantastical creature, likely influenced by “catamount,” another word for a cougar or other large cat...
#weirdwords @cbee