pickles
pickles — noun
- picklessingular
- picklesesplural
1. a food, most often a cucumber, that has been soaked in vinegar or salty water wi
a food, most often a cucumber, that has been soaked in vinegar or salty water with herbs and spices to give it a sharp, sour taste
Mei-Lin served spicy pickles alongside her grilled pork sandwich.
collocation: spicy pickles / sweet pickles / dill pickles
The children loved the sweet pickles that Grandma kept in a big jar.
Oliver added crunchy dill pickles to his burger for extra flavour.
Kwame learned to make pickles at home using vinegar and fresh garden cucumbers.
At the market near the station, they sell pickled onions and sour pickles in barrels.
- gherkin
specifically a small pickled cucumber, often sweet or sour
- pickled vegetable
broader term that includes pickled onions, carrots, cauliflower, etc.
- preserved vegetable
general term for vegetables preserved in brine, vinegar, or oil
- fresh vegetable
raw, unprocessed vegetables
文法句型
pickles (plural, individual items)
pickle (uncountable, category)
用法筆記
In American English, 'pickle' (uncountable) can refer to the food category, while 'pickles' (plural) refers to individual items. In British English, 'pickle' often means the sauce-like condiment (see sense 2).
常見錯誤
2. a thick, tangy sauce made from finely chopped vegetables kept in spiced vinegar,
a thick, tangy sauce made from finely chopped vegetables kept in spiced vinegar, commonly eaten with bread, cheese, or cold meat
Diego spread a spoonful of tangy pickle onto his ham sandwich.
British usage: 'pickle' as a sauce-like condiment
In many British pubs, a cheese and pickle sandwich is a classic lunch option.
Amara stirred a tablespoon of pickle into her potato salad for extra zest.
The recipe calls for two spoonfuls of thick pickle mixed with yogurt as a dip.
文法句型
pickle (uncountable, mass noun)
a pickle / pickles (countable, varieties)
用法筆記
This sense is primarily British. In the UK, 'cheese and pickle' is a standard sandwich filling. American English uses 'relish' or 'pickle relish' for a similar condiment.
3. an unpleasant or awkward situation that you cannot easily escape from
an unpleasant or awkward situation that you cannot easily escape from
When both banks refused to lend him money, Vikram was in a real pickle.
idiomatic phrase: in a (real) pickle
Chloe found herself in a pickle after locking her keys inside the car.
The company got into a pickle when its main supplier suddenly went bankrupt.
Hana knew she was in a pickle after double-booking two important meetings that morning.
- predicament
more formal; an unpleasant situation that is hard to get out of
- jam
equally informal; 'in a jam' means in trouble
- bind
informal; a difficult or restricting situation
- tight spot
informal; a situation with little room to act
文法句型
be in a pickle
get (oneself) into a pickle
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'in a pickle'. Not used with modifiers like 'in a difficult pickle' or 'in a big pickle' — the phrase is itself an idiom.
常見錯誤
4. a play in baseball where a runner is trapped between two bases and tries to avoi
a play in baseball where a runner is trapped between two bases and tries to avoid being tagged out
The runner was caught in a pickle between first and second base.
baseball term: caught in a pickle
Coach Liu taught his players how to escape a pickle during spring training.
The shortstop threw the ball quickly, trapping the batter in a pickle near second base.
Ana watched her brother escape a pickle and reach third base at the championship game.
- rundown
the standard baseball term for the same situation; 'pickle' is the informal, more colourful alternative
文法句型
be in a pickle
caught in a pickle
escape the pickle
用法筆記
Only used in baseball contexts. Outside of the sport, 'in a pickle' has the idiomatic meaning of sense 3 (a difficult situation).
常見錯誤
pickles — verb
- picklespresent simple I / you / we / they
- pickleses3rd person singular
- picklesing-ing form
- picklesedpast simple
1. to prepare and store vegetables or fruit by putting them in vinegar or salty wat
to prepare and store vegetables or fruit by putting them in vinegar or salty water inside a sealed container so they develop a sour flavour and last a long time
Every autumn, Deepa pickles the extra cucumbers from her garden.
pattern: pickle + object (cucumbers, onions, vegetables)
Liam learned to pickle his own vegetables after taking a weekend cooking class.
These onions were pickled last month and are now ready to eat.
At the Sunday market, Mr. Chen sells jars of the vegetables he pickles at home.
文法句型
pickle + noun (object)
be pickled (passive)
pickled + noun (past participle as adjective)
用法筆記
Commonly appears as the past participle 'pickled' used as an adjective (e.g., 'pickled onions', 'pickled eggs'). The process can be applied to a wide range of foods beyond cucumbers.