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Glite Dictionary
in a pickle

in a pickle

15 8.3
In trouble and not sure what to do
  • idiom
  • Informal
: 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
75 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
46 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
23 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
9 4.2

In a difficult situation that is hard to get out of

is a broader term for any difficult or troublesome situation
tricky situation
vsin a pickle
5 3.7

A difficult situation that is hard to deal with

is about general difficulty or trouble rather than mainly complexity
in the soup
vsin a pickle
  • Archaic
3 9.3

In trouble because of a problem

is the neutral term for simply being in a difficult or troublesome situation
in a wringer
vsin a pickle
  • Informal
1 9.3

Being very stressed and under strong pressure

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

Antonyms

comfortably
48 1.3

With little worry and no stress

How Troubled

serious issue
72 3.0
bind
  • Informal
41 6.5
in a pickle
  • Informal
15 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.