pickle

pickle
    n 1: vegetables (especially cucumbers) preserved in brine or
         vinegar
    2: informal terms for a difficult situation; "he got into a
       terrible fix"; "he made a muddle of his marriage" [syn:
       {fix}, {hole}, {jam}, {mess}, {muddle}, {pickle}, {kettle of
       fish}]
    v 1: preserve in a pickling liquid
    

Pickle \Pic"kle\, n. [Obs.]
   See {Picle}.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Pickle \Pic"kle\, n. [Cf. D. pekel. Probably a dim. fr. {Pick},
   v. t., alluding to the cleaning of the fish.]
   1.
      (a) A solution of salt and water, in which fish, meat,
          etc., may be preserved or corned; brine.
      (b) Vinegar, plain or spiced, used for preserving
          vegetables, fish, eggs, oysters, etc.
          [1913 Webster]

   2. Any article of food which has been preserved in brine or
      in vinegar.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Founding) A bath of dilute sulphuric or nitric acid,
      etc., to remove burnt sand, scale rust, etc., from the
      surface of castings, or other articles of metal, or to
      brighten them or improve their color.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. A troublesome child; as, a little pickle. [Colloq.]
      [1913 Webster]

   {To be in a pickle}, to be in disagreeable position; to be in
      a condition of embarrassment, difficulty, or disorder.
      "How cam'st thou in this pickle?" --Shak.

   {To put a rod in pickle}, to prepare a particular reproof,
      punishment, or penalty for future application.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Pickle \Pic"kle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Pickled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Pickling}.]
   1. To preserve or season in pickle; to treat with some kind
      of pickle; as, to pickle herrings or cucumbers.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To give an antique appearance to; -- said of copies or
      imitations of paintings by the old masters.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Picle \Pi"cle\ ((p[i^]k"'l), n. [Prob. fr. pightel or pingle.]
   A small piece of land inclosed with a hedge; a close. [Obs.]
   [Written also {pickle}.]
   [1913 Webster]
    

147 Moby Thesaurus words for "pickle":
      acid, acidulant, anhydrate, baffle, bafflement, bearings,
      bewilderment, bind, blast-freeze, booze up, boozify, bother, box,
      bread-and-butter pickle, brine, case, chokecherry, circumstance,
      clutch, complication, condition, confoundment, confusion, corn,
      corner, crab apple, crock, crunch, cure, dehydrate, desiccate,
      dilemma, dill pickle, discomposure, disconcert, disconcertedness,
      disconcertion, disconcertment, disturbance, dry, dry-cure,
      dry-salt, embalm, embarrassing position, embarrassment, enigma,
      estate, evaporate, fine how-do-you-do, fix, footing, freeze,
      freeze-dry, fuddle, fume, green apple, hell to pay, hobble, hole,
      hot water, how-do-you-do, imbroglio, irradiate, jam, jerk, kipper,
      lemon, lime, location, lot, marinade, marinate, mess, mix,
      modality, mode, morass, mummify, mystery, nonplus, overtake,
      parlous straits, pass, perplexity, perturbation, pinch, place,
      plaster, plight, pollute, position, posture, pother, predicament,
      preservatize, pretty pass, pretty pickle, pretty predicament,
      problem, puzzle, puzzlement, quagmire, quandary, quick-freeze,
      quicksand, rank, refrigerate, riddle, salt, scrape, season,
      situation, slough, smoke, smoke-cure, sour, sour balls, sour cream,
      sour grapes, sour pickle, sourdough, souse, spot, squeeze,
      standing, state, station, status, stew, sticky wicket, stone,
      strait, straits, stuff, swack, swamp, tight spot, tight squeeze,
      tightrope, tipsify, tricky spot, unassuredness, unholy mess, upset,
      verjuice, vinegar, yogurt