pickle
pickle — noun
- picklesingular
- picklesplural
1. a vegetable, especially a cucumber, kept in salty water or a vinegar liquid so i
a vegetable, especially a cucumber, kept in salty water or a vinegar liquid so it turns sour and stays edible for a long time.
Sumin put a dill pickle on her cheeseburger and took a big bite.
countable use: a pickle
The deli serves a crisp pickle alongside every sandwich and hot dog.
Both sweet and sour pickles were laid out on the table at the family picnic.
Marta packed a jar of homemade pickles to take on the camping trip.
- gherkin
a specific small type of pickled cucumber, often used in British English
- dill pickle
a cucumber pickle flavoured with dill, common in American English
文法句型
a + pickle
pickles (plural count noun)
常見錯誤
2. a cold, thick sauce made from chopped vegetables or fruit that have been cooked
a cold, thick sauce made from chopped vegetables or fruit that have been cooked with vinegar and spices, eaten with meat, cheese, or bread.
Bilal spread some spicy pickle onto his cheese and crackers.
uncountable: some pickle
This jar of mango pickle goes perfectly with rice dishes and flatbread.
pattern: a jar of pickle
Diya bought a pot of sweet pickle to serve alongside the cold roast lamb.
A spoonful of pickle adds a tangy kick to any ham sandwich.
文法句型
some + pickle
a pot/jar of + pickle
用法筆記
Common in British English. In the UK, 'cheese and pickle' is a classic sandwich filling. This sense is uncountable — you cannot say 'a pickle' to mean the sauce.
常見錯誤
3. an awkward or troublesome situation that you cannot easily escape from, often ca
an awkward or troublesome situation that you cannot easily escape from, often caused by your own mistakes or a chain of unlucky events.
After losing his keys and wallet, Liam was in a real pickle.
idiomatic pattern: in a pickle
The company got into a pickle when their main supplier suddenly went bankrupt.
Maeve got in a pickle after agreeing to two parties on the same afternoon.
The hikers were in a pickle when a storm forced them off the trail.
Jack found himself in a pickle when his flight was cancelled and he had nowhere to stay.
The team was in a pickle when their star goalkeeper got injured just before the final match.
- mess
a broader, more common term for a disordered or chaotic situation
- predicament
more formal and serious than 'pickle', suggesting a situation with no good way out
- jam
equally informal, often about being stuck or unable to move forward
- breeze
something very easy to deal with
文法句型
be in a pickle
get into a pickle
find oneself in a pickle
用法筆記
This meaning always appears in the fixed phrase 'in a pickle', never used without the article 'a'. Common with verbs like 'be', 'get into', or 'find oneself'. The sense is informal — avoid in formal or academic writing.
常見錯誤
4. a baseball play in which a runner is trapped between two bases, running back and
a baseball play in which a runner is trapped between two bases, running back and forth while fielders throw the ball to try to tag them out.
Caio watched the runner get caught in a pickle between first and second base.
baseball term: caught in a pickle
The shortstop threw the ball to second, and the batter was stuck in a pickle.
A pickle in baseball normally ends with the runner being tagged out.
The shortstop and second baseman worked together to trap the runner in a pickle.
- rundown
the standard baseball term for this play; 'pickle' is the informal version
文法句型
caught in a pickle
stuck in a pickle
用法筆記
This sense is specific to American baseball and rarely used outside that sport. Distinguish from sense 3 (DIFFICULT SITUATION), which has a more general, informal meaning.
pickle — verb
- picklepresent simple I / you / we / they
- pickles3rd person singular
- pickling-ing form
- pickledpast simple
1. to preserve food, especially vegetables, by keeping it in vinegar, salty water,
to preserve food, especially vegetables, by keeping it in vinegar, salty water, or a spicy liquid so it develops a strong flavour and lasts a long time.
Grandma used to pickle cucumbers from her garden every summer when they were plentiful.
collocation: pickle + cucumbers/onions/vegetables
Anong learned how to pickle onions from her grandmother, who followed an old family recipe.
You can pickle almost any vegetable, from carrots and radishes to green beans and cabbage.
The chef pickled the radishes in rice vinegar and sugar for two days.
文法句型
pickle + food item
be pickled in + liquid
用法筆記
Often used in the passive: 'The eggs were pickled in beetroot juice.' The object is usually a vegetable, fruit, or egg. Cannot be used for meat or fish — those are 'cured', 'smoked', or 'preserved' by other methods.