pickled
[pik-uh ld]
- preserved or steeped in brine or other liquid.
- Slang. drunk; intoxicated.
- (of wood) given an antique appearance by applying and partly removing paint or by bleaching.
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Origin of pickled
pickle1
[pik-uh l]
- 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.
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- 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.
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Origin of pickle1
1400–50; late Middle English pikkyll, pekille < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German pekel (> German Pökel) brine, pickle
Synonyms
See more synonyms for pickle on Thesaurus.com6. plight, quandary; fix, bind, scrape, jam.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for pickled
Contemporary Examples
From ceviche marinade to pickled sheep eyeballs to ground rhino horns, here are the craziest hangover cures from around the globe.
It features a pickled herring wrapped around pickled cucumbers and onions, and sometimes includes a beer.
Mongolians bravely swallow a glass of pickled sheep eyeballs mixed into tomato juice to chase away their morning-after blues.
Some garlic sauce, fresh and pickled veggies and maybe even some hots.
Pickled ramps are possibly the best-known preparation and are best served with roasted meats, fish, or pasta.
Historical Examples
Thicken it with the pickled nasturtians and send it to table in a boat.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
Then why does your face look like a huge piece of pickled beef?
The Rock of ChickamaugaJoseph A. Altsheler
He discovered her quaintly with a jar of pickled frogs in her hand.
The Innocent AdventuressMary Hastings Bradley
Fill a stewpan with large flap mushrooms, that are not worm-eaten, and the skins and fringe of such as have been pickled.
If this water was salt we'd be as snug as a couple of pickled mackerel.
Thankful's InheritanceJoseph C. Lincoln
pickled
- preserved in a pickling liquid
- informal intoxicated; drunk
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pickle
- (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
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- to preserve in a pickling liquid
- to immerse (a metallic object) in a liquid, such as an acid, to remove surface scale
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Word Origin
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 pickled
adj.
"drunk," American English slang, 1900, figurative past participle adjective from pickle (v.).
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pickle
n.
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.
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pickle
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with pickled
pickle
see in a fix (pickle).
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.