pickle

See also: Pickle

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈpɪkl̩/
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -ɪkəl

Etymology 1

From Middle English pikel (“spicy sauce served with meat or fish”), borrowed from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German pekel (“brine”). Cognate with Scots pikkill (“salt liquor, brine”), Saterland Frisian Piekele (“pickle, brine”), Dutch pekel (“pickle, brine”), Low German pekel, peckel, pickel, bickel (“pickle, brine”), German Pökel (“pickle, brine”).

Alternative forms

pickel (obsolete and rare)

Noun

A jar of pickles.

pickle (countable and uncountable, plural pickles)

A cucumber preserved in a solution, usually a brine or a vinegar syrup.
A pickle goes well with a hamburger.
(often in the plural) Any vegetable preserved in vinegar and consumed as relish.
A sweet, vinegary pickled chutney popular in Britain.
The brine used for preserving food.
This tub is filled with the pickle that we will put the small cucumbers into.
(informal) A difficult situation; peril.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:difficult situation
The climber found himself in a pickle when one of the rocks broke off.
- 1955, Rex Stout, "Die Like a Dog", in Three Witnesses, October 1994 Bantam edition, →ISBN, page 194:
  I beg you, Miss Jones, to realize the pickle you're in.
(endearing) A mildly mischievous loved one.
- 1867, Polly Stubbs, Nursery times; or, Stories about the little ones, by an old nurse, page 143:
  by degrees my little pickle (who, as I told you at the beginning of the story, was the most troublesome child I ever came across) turned into a very well-behaved young gentleman.
- 1885, Eleanor A. Bulley, Great Britain for little Britons, page 116:
  ... If you could get my little pickle to learn his multiplication table before you leave us, you shall have that musical box to take home with you.
- 1965, Eric Malpass, Morning's at seven, page 43:
  'And now,' she said, 'what about that kiss my little pickle was going to give his old Auntie?'
(baseball) A rundown.
Jones was caught in a pickle between second and third.
(uncountable) A children’s game with three participants that emulates a baseball rundown
The boys played pickle in the front yard for an hour.
(slang) A penis.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:penis
(slang) A pipe for smoking methamphetamine.
Load some shards in that pickle.
(metalworking) 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 colour.
In an optical landing system, the hand-held controller connected to the lens, or apparatus on which the lights are mounted.

Derived terms

gammon and pickles
in a pickle
pickle fork
pickle switch
quickle

Descendants

→ Dutch: pickles
→ French: pickles
→ Irish: picil
→ Korean: 피클 (pikeul)
→ Spanish: pickles
→ Welsh: picil

Translations

preserved cucumber

Arabic: مُخَلَّل‎ m (muḵallal)
Armenian: թթու վարունգ (tʿtʿu varung)
Bulgarian: кисела краставичка f (kisela krastavička)
Catalan: cogombret m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 酸瓜 (syun¹gwaa¹), 醃青瓜, 腌青瓜 (jip³ceng¹gwaa¹)
Mandarin: 醃黃瓜／腌黄瓜 (zh) (yānhuángguā)
Czech: okurka nakládačka f, kyselá okurka f
Dutch: (ingemaakte) augurk (nl)
Esperanto: kukumeto
Finnish: maustekurkku (fi) (in vinegar), suolakurkku (fi) (in brine), kurkku (fi) (general)
French: cornichon (fr) m
Georgian: მწნილი (mc̣nili)
German: eingelegte Gurke f, saure Gurke f, Essiggurke (de) f (vinegar), Gewürzgurke (de) f
Greek: πίκλα (el) f (píkla), τουρσί (el) n (toursí)
Greenlandic: agurki
Hebrew: מלפפון חמוץ‎ (he) m, חמוצים‎ m
Hungarian: csemegeuborka (hu)
Ido: piklokukombreto
Italian: cetriolino (it) m, cetriolo sottaceto m, cetriolino sottaceto m
Japanese: 漬物 (ja) (つけもの, tsukemono), 漬け物 (ja) (つけもの, tsukemono), ピクルス (ぴくるす, pikurusu)
Korean: 절임 (jeorim), 피클 (pikeul)
Lithuanian: raugintas agurkas m
Macedonian: корнишо́н m (kornišón), кисела краставичка f (kisela krastavička)
Mongolian: даршилсан ногоо (daršilsan nogoo)
Navajo: naayízí díkʼǫ́zhí, taʼneeskʼánítsʼózí díkʼǫ́zhígíí
Norwegian: sylteagurk m
Persian: خیارشور‎ (xiyâr-šur)
Polish: ogórek kiszony, ogórek w occie m (in vinegar)
Portuguese: picles (pt) m
Romanian: castravete murat m
Russian: солёный огуре́ц m (soljónyj oguréc), ки́слый огуре́ц m (kíslyj oguréc), ква́шеный огуре́ц m (kvášenyj oguréc), корнишо́н (ru) m (kornišón) (gherkin)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: кисели краставац m
Roman: kiseli krastavac m
Slovak: kyslá uhorka f
Spanish: pepinillo
Swedish: inläggning (sv), inlagd (sv), saltgurka, ättiksgurka
Turkish: turşu (tr), kornişon (tr), salatalık turşusu
Ukrainian: ква́шений огіро́к m (kvášenyj ohirók)
Welsh: piclen f
Yiddish: זויערע אוגערקע‎ (zoyere ugerke)

any vegetable preserved in vinegar and consumed as relish

Armenian: թթու (hy) (tʿtʿu), թթու դրած բանջարեղեն (tʿtʿu drac banǰarełen)
Assamese: please add this translation if you can
Bengali: please add this translation if you can
Bulgarian: туршия (bg) f (turšija)
Burmese: ချဉ်ဖတ် (my) (hkyanyhpat)
Catalan: conserva (ca) f, envinagrat m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 醃菜, 腌菜 (jim¹ coi³), 鹹菜, 咸菜 (haam⁴ coi³), 泡菜 (paau³ coi³)
Mandarin: 醃菜／腌菜 (zh) (yāncài), 鹹菜／咸菜 (zh) (xiáncài), 泡菜 (zh) (pàocài)
Min Nan: 鹹菜 (zh-min-nan), 咸菜 (kiâm-chhài)
Dutch: pickles (nl) pl
Finnish: pikkelssi (fi) (mixed vegetables); pikkelöidyt vihannekset pl
French: pickles (fr) pl
German: eingelegtes Gemüse n
Greek: τουρσί (el) n (toursí)
Ancient: κολυμβάς f (kolumbás)
Greenlandic: agurki
Hindi: अचार (hi) m (acār)
Hungarian: savanyúság (hu)
Ido: piklo (io)
Italian: sottaceti m pl
Japanese: 酢漬け (ja) (すづけ, suzuke)
Latin: salgama n pl
Macedonian: туршија f (turšija)
Malay: acar (ms)
Maori: pīkara
Nepali: अचार (ne) (acār)
Persian: ترشی‎ (fa) (torši), آچار‎ (fa) (āčār)
Polish: kiszonka (pl) f, kwaszonka (pl) f, marynata (pl) f
Portuguese: conservado (pt) m
Rohingya: please add this translation if you can
Romanian: murătură (ro) f
Russian: соле́нье (ru) n (solénʹje)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: туршија f
Roman: turšija (sh) f
Spanish: encurtido (es) m
Swedish: inläggning (sv)
Tamil: ஊறுகாய் (ta) (ūṟukāy)
Telugu: పచ్చడి (te) (paccaḍi)
Turkish: turşu (tr)
Urdu: اچار‎ m (acār)
Vietnamese: dưa (vi)

brine used for preserving food

Armenian: թթվաջուր (hy) (tʿtʿvaǰur)
Bulgarian: саламура (bg) f (salamura)
Czech: lák (cs) m
Dutch: pekel (nl)
Finnish: liemi (fi), etikkaliemi, suolaliemi (fi)
German: Lake (de) f
Greek: γάρος (el) m (gáros), άλμη (el) f (álmi)
Italian: salamoia (it) f
Japanese: 塩水 (ja) (しおみず, shiomizu)
Korean: 간물 (ko) (ganmul)
Macedonian: расол m (rasol)
Portuguese: salmoura (pt) f
Romanian: moare (ro) f (regional)
Russian: рассо́л (ru) m (rassól)
Serbo-Croatian: rasol (sh) m
Spanish: vinagreta (es) f
Swedish: inläggning (sv), lag (sv)
Ukrainian: рупа́ f (rupá), квас m (kvas)

difficult situation

Armenian: անախորժ դրություն (anaxorž drutʿyun)
Bulgarian: неприятно положение n (neprijatno položenie)
Czech: šlamastyka (cs) f, polízanice (cs) f, nadělení n, kaše (cs) f
Dutch: puree (nl)
Finnish: liemi (fi)
German: Tinte (de) f, Patsche (de) f, Schlamassel (de) m
Hungarian: pác (hu)
Italian: pasticcio (it) m, guaio (it) m

affectionate term for a loved one

Dutch: zoetje (nl) n
German: Frechdachs (de) m (child)
Greek: διαβολάκι (el) n (diavoláki), ζιζάνιο (el) n (zizánio)
Italian: diavoletto (it) m, birichino (it) m

baseball: rundown — see rundown

children's game

Finnish: polttopallo (fi)
German: Neckball m

slang: penis — See also translations at penis

Dutch: worst (nl)
Italian: pisello (it) m, cetriolo (it) m

slang: pipe for smoking methamphetamine

metalworking: bath of dilute sulphuric or nitric acid, etc.

Bulgarian: киселинна вана (kiselinna vana)
Finnish: peittausneste
Italian: decapaggio (it) m

optical landing system: hand-held controller

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Arabic: ^{(please verify)} مخلل‎
French: ^{(please verify)} pickles (fr)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} sottaceto (it) m, ^{(please verify)} salamoia (it) f
Neapolitan: ^{(please verify)} cumpòsta
Telugu: ^{(please verify)} ఊరగాయ పచ్చడి (ūragāya paccaḍi)

Verb

pickle (third-person singular simple present pickles, present participle pickling, simple past and past participle pickled)

(transitive, ergative) To preserve food (or sometimes other things) in a salt, sugar or vinegar solution.
We pickled the remainder of the crop.
These cucumbers pickle very well.
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:pickle.
(transitive) To remove high-temperature scale and oxidation from metal with heated (often sulphuric) industrial acid.
The crew will pickle the fittings in the morning.
(programming, in Python) To serialize.
- 2005, Peter Norton et al, Beginning Python:
  You can now restore the pickled data. If you like, close your Python interpreter and open a new instance, to convince yourself […]
- 2008, Marty Alchin, Pro Django:
  To illustrate how this would work in practice, consider a field designed to store and retrieve a pickled copy of any arbitrary Python object.
(historical) To pour brine over a person after flogging them, as a method of punishment.
- 1756, Thomas Thistlewood, diary, quoted in 2001, Glyne A. Griffith, Caribbean Cultural Identities, Bucknell University Press (→ISBN), page 38:
  On Wednesday 26 May, […] I had [an enslaved man] flogged and pickled and then made Hector shit in his mouth. […] In July, […] Gave [another enslaved man] a moderate whipping, pickled him well, made Hector shit in his mouth, […]
- 2016, Christopher P. Magra, Poseidon's Curse: British Naval Impressment and Atlantic Origins of the American Revolution, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 70:
  Naval seamen could also be keel-hauled, ducked, pickled, and flogged around the fleet.
  [elsewhere, page 93, the book explains:] A pickled man had his flogged back washed with vinegar.

Derived terms

pickled
pickling

Translations

to preserve food in a salt, sugar or vinegar solution

Armenian: թթու դնել (hy) (tʿtʿu dnel)
Bulgarian: мариновам (marinovam)
Burmese: အချဉ်တည် (my) (a.hkyanytany), အချဉ်ဖောက် (my) (a.hkyanyhpauk), ချဉ်ဖတ်တည် (my) (hkyanyhpattany), ဆားစိမ် (my) (hca:cim), ကုလားတည် (my) (ku.la:tany)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 醃菜, 腌菜 (jip³ coi³)
Mandarin: 腌菜 (zh) (yāncài) (traditional also: 醃菜／腌菜 (zh)), 鹹菜／咸菜 (zh) (xiáncài), 泡菜 (zh) (pàocài), 腌 (zh) (yān)
Dutch: inmaken (nl), (brine only) pekelen
Esperanto: pekli
Estonian: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: suolata (fi), säilöä (fi), säilöä etikkaliemeen, pikkelöidä
French: saler (fr)
German: einlegen (de), pökeln (de)
Greek:
Ancient: ἁλμεύω (halmeúō)
Hungarian: savanyít (hu)
Japanese: 漬ける (ja) (つける, tsukeru)
Latvian: skābēt (lv)
Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
Macedonian: закиселува (zakiseluva)
Maori: pīkara
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norman: piclier
Polish: kisić (pl) impf
Portuguese: conservar (pt), salmourar
Romanian: mura (ro)
Russian: заса́ливать (ru) impf (zasálivatʹ), соли́ть (ru) impf (solítʹ), ква́сить (ru) impf (kvásitʹ), засоли́ть (ru) pf (zasolítʹ), (marinate) маринова́ть (ru) impf (marinovátʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: saill
Spanish: encurtir (es), escabechar (es), conservar (es)
Swedish: lägga in (sv)
Thai: ดอง (th) (dɔɔng)
Ukrainian: ква́сити (kvásyty)

to remove high-temperature scale and oxidation from metal with heated industrial acid

Bulgarian: ецвам (ecvam)
Finnish: peitata (fi)
German: beizen (de)
Italian: decapaggio (it) m

Python programming language: to serialize

Etymology 2

Perhaps from Scottish pickle, apparently from pick +‎ -le (diminutive suffix). Compare Scots pickil.

Noun

pickle (plural pickles)

(Northern England, Scotland) A kernel; a grain (of salt, sugar, etc.)
(Northern England, Scotland) A small or indefinite quantity or amount (of something); a little, a bit, a few. Usually in partitive construction, frequently without "of"; a single grain or kernel of wheat, barley, oats, sand or dust.
- 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson, "Thrawn Janet"
  […] ill things are like guid—they baith come bit by bit, a pickle at a time […]

Verb

pickle (third-person singular simple present pickles, present participle pickling, simple past and past participle pickled)

(Northern England, Scotland, transitive, intransitive) To eat sparingly.
(Northern England, Scotland, transitive, intransitive) To pilfer.

Anagrams

pelick

French

Etymology

English pickle

Noun

pickle m (plural pickles)

pickle (kind of chutney popular in Britain)