pickle
1 of 3noun (1)
pick·le ˈpi-kəl 
1
: a solution or bath for preserving or cleaning: such as
a
: a brine or vinegar solution in which foods are preserved
b
: any of various baths used in industrial cleaning or processing
2
: a difficult situation : plight
could see no way out of the pickle I was in
R. L. Stevenson
R. L. Stevenson3
: an article of food that has been preserved in brine or in vinegar
specifically : a cucumber that has been so preserved
pickle
2 of 3verb
pickled; pickling ˈpi-k(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
1
: to treat, preserve, or clean in or with a pickle
2
: to give a light finish to (something, such as furniture) by bleaching or painting and wiping
pickle
3 of 3noun (2)
1
Scotland : grain, kernel
2
Scotland : a small quantity
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- bind
- box
- catch-22
- corner
- dilemma
- fix
- hole
- impasse
- jackpot [chiefly West]
- jam
- mire
- predicament
- quagmire
- rabbit hole
- rattrap
- spot
- sticky wicket
- swamp
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English pykyl, pekill sauce, gravy, from or akin to Middle Dutch peeckel brine
Noun (2)
perhaps from Scots pickle to trifle, pilfer
First Known Use
Noun (1)
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (2)
1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing pickle
Kids Definition
pickle 1 of 2
noun
pick·le ˈpi-kəl
1
: a piece of food and especially a cucumber that has been preserved in a solution of salt water or vinegar
2
: a mixture of salt and water or vinegar for keeping foods : brine
3
: a difficult or very unpleasant situation
A nice pickle they were all in now … with three angry trolls … J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbitpickle
2 of 2verb
pickled; pickling
: to soak or keep in a solution of salt water or vinegar
pickles
noun
as in predicaments
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape well, this is a bit of a pickle we've gotten ourselves into Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- predicaments
- dilemmas
- jams
- swamps
- holes
- binds
- corners
- boxes
- rabbit holes
- soups
- spots
- fixes
- crises
- impasses
- sticky wickets
- mires
- difficulties
- rattraps
- quagmires
- jackpots
- catch-22s
- kettles of fish
- plights
- troubles
- hot waters
- nodes
- emergencies
- pinches
- quandaries
- straits
- catch-22's
- scrapes
- clutches
- crossroads
- deadlocks
- standstills
- exigencies
- stalemates
- logjams
- halts
- junctures
