pickle

[pik-uhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pickle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cucumber that has been preserved in brine, vinegar, or the like.

Often pickles. any other vegetable, as cauliflower, celery, etc., preserved in vinegar and eaten as a relish.

something preserved in a brine or marinade.

a liquid usually prepared with salt or vinegar for preserving or flavoring fish, meat, vegetables, etc.; brine or marinade.

Metallurgy. an acid or other chemical solution in which metal objects are dipped to remove oxide scale or other adhering substances.

Informal. a troublesome or awkward situation; predicament: I was in a pickle after the check bounced.

Informal. a sour, disagreeable person.

verb (used with object), pick·led, pick·ling.

to preserve or steep in brine or other liquid.

to treat with a chemical solution, as for the purpose of cleaning.

to give a pale, streaked finish to (wood) by applying and partly removing paint or by bleaching, as to give an appearance of age.

Slang. to store; prepare for long-range storage: Let's pickle these old cars for a few years.

Origin of pickle

1400–50; late Middle English pikkyll, pekille < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German pekel (> German Pökel) brine, pickle

Synonyms for pickle

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pickle ON THESAURUS.COM

6. plight, quandary; fix, bind, scrape, jam.

pickle

[pik-uh l]

noun Scot. and North England.

a single grain or kernel, as of barley or corn.

a small amount; a little.

Origin of pickle

1545–55; perhaps noun use of pickle to take tiny bits of food in eating, frequentative of pick¹; see -le

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pickle

box, predicament, dilemma, bind, fix, spot, quandary, scrape, difficulty, jam, corner, hole, disorder, souse, salt, keep, cure, can, steep, marinade

Examples from the Web for pickle

Contemporary Examples of pickle

You spice it with blues and skiffle music, and pickle it in alcohol and tobacco smoke.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker
Ted Gioia
December 23, 2014
Our backyard had a baseball diamond and a “Pickle” path worn into the lawn because of Frankie.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’
Eileen Cronin
April 8, 2014
A pinch hitter named Pickle Smith was announced for Jacksonville.
The Great Paul Hemphill Celebrates the Long Gone Birmingham Barons
Paul Hemphill
March 29, 2014
Chuck Strickler of Decatur, Michigan, found himself in a pickle right after September 11.
New iPhone a Problem for People Who Lack Fingerprints
Winston Ross
September 12, 2013
But soon after I arrived in Washington, D.C., I was in a pickle.
Michelle Rhee: My Break With the Democrats
Michelle Rhee
February 5, 2013

Historical Examples of pickle

Then make the pickle, which must be in proportion to the quantity of fish.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
The last of October is a good time for putting meat into pickle.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Boil them all together, so as to make a pickle that will bear up an egg.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
East India pickle is very convenient, and will keep two years.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
The pickle also must be seasoned with the spices above-mentioned.
The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory;
Charlotte Campbell Bury

British Dictionary definitions for pickle

pickle

noun

(often plural) vegetables, such as cauliflowers, onions, etc, preserved in vinegar, brine, etc

any food preserved in this way

a liquid or marinade, such as spiced vinegar, for preserving vegetables, meat, fish, etc

mainly US and Canadian a cucumber that has been preserved and flavoured in a pickling solution, such as brine or vinegar

informal an awkward or difficult situationto be in a pickle

British informal a mischievous child

verb (tr)

to preserve in a pickling liquid

to immerse (a metallic object) in a liquid, such as an acid, to remove surface scale

Derived Formspickler, noun

Word Origin for pickle

C14: perhaps from Middle Dutch pekel; related to German Pökel brine

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pickle

c.1400, probably from Middle Dutch pekel "pickle, brine," or related words in Low German and East Frisian (cf. Dutch pekel, East Frisian päkel, German pökel), of uncertain origin or original meaning. Klein suggests the name of a medieval Dutch fisherman who developed the process. Originally a sauce served with meat or fowl; meaning "cucumber preserved in pickle" first recorded 1707, via use of the word for the salty liquid in which meat, etc. was preserved (c.1500). Figurative sense of "sorry plight" first recorded 1560s, from the time when the word still meant a sauce served on meat about to be eaten. Meaning "troublesome boy" is from 1788, perhaps from the notion of being "imbued" with roguery.

1550s, from pickle (n.). Related: Pickled; pickling.

Idioms and Phrases with pickle

pickle

see in a fix (pickle).