a brine or vinegar solution in which foods, e.g. meat, fish, or vegetables, are preserved
food, e.g. a mixture of chopped vegetables, preserved in a brine or vinegar solution: compare chutney
(also in pl) a vegetable that has been preserved in a brine or vinegar solution, e.g. an onion or; esp in the USA and Canada, a cucumber
informal a difficult or confused situation; a mess
I could see no way out of the pickle I was in — Stevenson
any of various solutions, e.g. of acid, used in industrial cleaning or processing
Brit, informal a mischievous or troublesome child
[Middle English pekille, prob from early Dutch pekel, peekel]