in a pickle

English

Etymology

The term refers to being in pickling solution, presumably unpleasant. It was first used in English by William Shakespeare in The Tempest (1611), although the phrase had been used in Dutch earlier.

Prepositional phrase

in a pickle

In a difficult situation or a troubling quandary.

Synonyms

in a fix
troubled

References

“In a pickle” in Gary Martin, The Phrase Finder, 1997–, retrieved 26 February 2017.

Anagrams

paniclike

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