[W/K] :: pickle

  Pickle \Pic"kle\, n. [Obs.]
     See Picle.
     [1913 Webster]

  Pickle \Pic"kle\, n. [Cf. D. pekel. Probably a dim. fr. Pick,
     v. t., alluding to the cleaning of the fish.]
     1.
        (a) A solution of salt and water, in which fish, meat,
            etc., may be preserved or corned; brine.
        (b) Vinegar, plain or spiced, used for preserving
            vegetables, fish, eggs, oysters, etc.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Any article of food which has been preserved in brine or
        in vinegar.
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     3. (Founding) 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 color.
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     4. A troublesome child; as, a little pickle. [Colloq.]
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     To be in a pickle, to be in disagreeable position; to be in
        a condition of embarrassment, difficulty, or disorder.
        "How cam'st thou in this pickle?" --Shak.
  
     To put a rod in pickle, to prepare a particular reproof,
        punishment, or penalty for future application.
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  Pickle \Pic"kle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pickled; p. pr. & vb. n.
     Pickling.]
     1. To preserve or season in pickle; to treat with some kind
        of pickle; as, to pickle herrings or cucumbers.
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     2. To give an antique appearance to; -- said of copies or
        imitations of paintings by the old masters.
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  Picle \Pi"cle\ ((p[i^]k"'l), n. [Prob. fr. pightel or pingle.]
     A small piece of land inclosed with a hedge; a close. [Obs.]
     [Written also pickle.]
     [1913 Webster]

  pickle
       n 1: vegetables (especially cucumbers) preserved in brine or
            vinegar
       2: informal terms for a difficult situation; "he got into a
          terrible fix"; "he made a muddle of his marriage" [syn: fix,
           hole, jam, mess, muddle, kettle of fish]
       v : preserve in a pickling liquid

  147 Moby Thesaurus words for "pickle":
     acid, acidulant, anhydrate, baffle, bafflement, bearings,
     bewilderment, bind, blast-freeze, booze up, boozify, bother, box,
     bread-and-butter pickle, brine, case, chokecherry, circumstance,
     clutch, complication, condition, confoundment, confusion, corn,
     corner, crab apple, crock, crunch, cure, dehydrate, desiccate,
     dilemma, dill pickle, discomposure, disconcert, disconcertedness,
     disconcertion, disconcertment, disturbance, dry, dry-cure,
     dry-salt, embalm, embarrassing position, embarrassment, enigma,
     estate, evaporate, fine how-do-you-do, fix, footing, freeze,
     freeze-dry, fuddle, fume, green apple, hell to pay, hobble, hole,
     hot water, how-do-you-do, imbroglio, irradiate, jam, jerk, kipper,
     lemon, lime, location, lot, marinade, marinate, mess, mix,
     modality, mode, morass, mummify, mystery, nonplus, overtake,
     parlous straits, pass, perplexity, perturbation, pinch, place,
     plaster, plight, pollute, position, posture, pother, predicament,
     preservatize, pretty pass, pretty pickle, pretty predicament,
     problem, puzzle, puzzlement, quagmire, quandary, quick-freeze,
     quicksand, rank, refrigerate, riddle, salt, scrape, season,
     situation, slough, smoke, smoke-cure, sour, sour balls, sour cream,
     sour grapes, sour pickle, sourdough, souse, spot, squeeze,
     standing, state, station, status, stew, sticky wicket, stone,
     strait, straits, stuff, swack, swamp, tight spot, tight squeeze,
     tightrope, tipsify, tricky spot, unassuredness, unholy mess, upset,
     verjuice, vinegar, yogurt