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