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Hicieron la restauración a lo loco.

Hicieron la restauración a lo loco.
They did the restoration haphazardly.
From Lesson 461:Adverbial manner phrases (a lo...)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Hicieron la restauración a lo loco.

How does a lo loco translate to "haphazardly" here?
The structure a lo followed by an adjective is a very common way to create an adverbial phrase meaning "in a certain way" or "in the style of." Literally meaning "in a crazy way," a lo loco is the go-to phrase for doing something carelessly, rushed, or without a proper plan.
Why use the neuter article lo instead of el or la?
We use lo because we aren't talking about a specific masculine noun (like a crazy person). The neuter article lo turns the adjective loco into an abstract concept—"that which is crazy." The fixed formula for these manner phrases is always a lo + [masculine singular adjective].
Since restauración is feminine, why isn't it a lo loca to match?
Because a lo loco describes how the action (hicieron) was performed, not the noun (restauración). It acts as an adverb, and adverbs don't change gender or number. In this construction, the adjective will always stay in its default masculine singular form.
Could I use locamente instead of a lo loco?
You could, but it sounds less natural here. A lo loco specifically means doing a task carelessly or haphazardly. Locamente means "crazily" or "madly," and is more often used for intense emotions, like being madly in love (locamente enamorado).

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