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Glite Dictionary
in a pickle

in a pickle

7 8.3
In trouble and not sure what to do
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : en un aprieto
  • Looks like you three are in a pickle, doesn't it?
  • put me in a pickle
  • in a pickle here
  • Well, we're in a pickle

OK, O'reilly's in a pickle, but today Donald Trump got his back, the president told the New York Times.

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Examples

Synonyms

predicament
vsin a pickle
81 5.8

A difficult or embarrassing situation that is hard to escape

is a more informal everyday way to say being in difficulty
pickle
vsin a pickle
  • Informal
48 6.0

A difficult situation that is hard to get out of

is a neutral phrase for being in a difficult or troublesome situation
in a jam
vsin a pickle
  • Informal
14 6.7

In trouble and needing help to fix a problem

is a general label for being in a difficult or troublesome situation
in a tight spot
vsin a pickle
  • Informal
8 4.2

In a difficult situation that is hard to get out of

is a broader term for any difficult or troublesome situation
in the soup
vsin a pickle
  • Archaic
4 9.3

In trouble because of a problem

is the neutral term for simply being in a difficult or troublesome situation
tricky situation
vsin a pickle
4 3.7

A difficult situation that is hard to deal with

is about general difficulty or trouble rather than mainly complexity
in a spot of bother
vsin a pickle
  • UK
1 8.6

A small problem that causes worry and needs help

is used for more serious or troublesome situations rather than minor ones
in the wringer
vsin a pickle
  • Informal
1 9.1

Feeling very tired and stressed because of strong pressure

is used more generally for trouble without implying severe hardship
in a wringer
vsin a pickle
  • Informal
9.3

Being very stressed and under strong pressure

is a looser term for difficulty without the strong pressure or distress

Antonyms

comfortably
19 1.3

With little worry and no stress

How Troubled

serious issue
41 3.0
bind
  • Informal
68 6.5
in a pickle
  • Informal
7 8.3
fine
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

in a pickle main

Morphology

in + a + pickle

The literal words 'in' + 'a' + 'pickle' would lead a learner to imagine being inside a preserved vegetable, so the figurative meaning 'in a difficult or troublesome situation' is not transparently derivable from the parts. This is an idiomatic, language-specific extension that a B1 learner who knows the constituents but has not encountered the phrase is unlikely to predict.

Etymology

In a pickle comes from the picture of a person stuck in a jar of sour liquid with the pickle, an uncomfortable place you cannot easily move from. So, when someone is in a pickle, they are in a 'difficult or troublesome' situation.