preserved in a pickling liquid intoxicated; drunk
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
pick•le1 /ˈpɪkəl/USA pronunciation
n., v., -led, -ling.
n.
v. [~ + object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025n.
- Fooda vegetable, esp. a cucumber, that has been preserved and flavored in brine or vinegar: [countable]a jar of sweet dill pickles.[uncountable]relish made of pickle.
- [uncountable] a liquid prepared with salt or vinegar, for preserving or flavoring meat, etc.;
brine or marinade. - Informal Terms a troublesome situation;
a difficulty:[countable* usually singular;usually: a + ~]We're in a pickle now, surrounded by woods.
v. [~ + object]
- Foodto preserve or soak in brine or other liquid.
pick•led
(pik′əld),USA pronunciation adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Foodpreserved or steeped in brine or other liquid.
- Slang Termsdrunk;
intoxicated. - Furniture(of wood) given an antique appearance by applying and partly removing paint or by bleaching.
- pickle1 + -ed2 1545–55
pick•le1
(pik′əl),USA pronunciation n., v., -led, -ling.
n.
v.t.
pick•le2 (pik′əl),USA pronunciation n. [Scot. and North Eng.]
n.
- Fooda cucumber that has been preserved in brine, vinegar, or the like.
- Often, pickles. any other vegetable, as cauliflower, celery, etc., preserved in vinegar and eaten as a relish.
- something preserved in a brine or marinade.
- a liquid usually prepared with salt or vinegar for preserving or flavoring fish, meat, vegetables, etc.;
brine or marinade. - Metallurgyan acid or other chemical solution in which metal objects are dipped to remove oxide scale or other adhering substances.
- Informal Termsa troublesome or awkward situation;
predicament:I was in a pickle after the check bounced. - Informal Termsa sour, disagreeable person.
v.t.
- Foodto preserve or steep in brine or other liquid.
- to treat with a chemical solution, as for the purpose of cleaning.
- to give a pale, streaked finish to (wood) by applying and partly removing paint or by bleaching, as to give an appearance of age.
- Slang Termsto store;
prepare for long-range storage:Let's pickle these old cars for a few years.
- Middle Dutch, Middle Low German pekel (
German Pökel) brine, pickle - late Middle English pikkyll, pekille 1400–50
- 6.See corresponding entry in Unabridged plight, quandary; fix, bind, scrape, jam.
pick•le2 (pik′əl),USA pronunciation n. [Scot. and North Eng.]
- Scottish Termsa single grain or kernel, as of barley or corn.
- Scottish Termsa small amount;
a little.
- 1545–55; perh. noun, nominal use of pickle to take tiny bits of food in eating, frequentative of pick1; see -le
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
- (often plural)
vegetables, such as cauliflowers, onions, etc, preserved in vinegar, brine, etc any food preserved in this way a liquid or marinade, such as spiced vinegar, for preserving vegetables, meat, fish, etc a cucumber that has been preserved and flavoured in a pickling solution, such as brine or vinegar an awkward or difficult situation: to be in a pickle a mischievous child
to preserve in a pickling liquid to immerse (a metallic object) in a liquid, such as an acid, to remove surface scale
'pickled onions' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):