Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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prep_phrase
In a difficult situation or a troubling quandary.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic, informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
The term refers to being in pickling solution, presumably unpleasant. It was first used in English by William Shakespeare in The Tempest (1611), although the phrase had been used in Dutch earlier.
