as in predicaments
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
well, this is a bit of a pickle we've gotten ourselves into
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Recent Examples of pickles
Serve it with or without a bun plus your favorite toppings like pickles, slaw, and extra sauce.
—
Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
Sook by Maydan is offering a $ 15-per-person Dine LA lunch menu with a choice of beef wrap or chicken shish taouk wrap, served with house pickles, labneh spread, and a farmers market side salad.
—Kaila Yu, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Anderson spoke about attempting to send her former spouse some pickles.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
Expect everything from roasted oysters to smoked chicken wings with coconut chutney or toum and housemade pickles to lamb kebabs, alongside dips and flatbreads.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Jan. 2026
Now porchetta is pretty rich, so Hilarides likes to cut that with some acid — specifically, homemade pickles.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
For millions of consumers, the new guidance ostensibly makes the Big Mac — two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun — something akin to health food.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Working in batches if needed, arrange pickles in a single layer in air-fryer basket (do not overcrowd).
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Jan. 2026
Along with the usual lettuce, tomato and mayo, the inaugural customer creation, introduced for a limited time in July 2025, dressed the brand’s staple burger patty and bun with American cheese, bacon, crispy onions, and pickles with golden onion rings and a smoky BBQ sauce.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
Sook by Maydan is offering a $ 15-per-person Dine LA lunch menu with a choice of beef wrap or chicken shish taouk wrap, served with house pickles, labneh spread, and a farmers market side salad.
—Kaila Yu, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Anderson spoke about attempting to send her former spouse some pickles.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
Expect everything from roasted oysters to smoked chicken wings with coconut chutney or toum and housemade pickles to lamb kebabs, alongside dips and flatbreads.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Jan. 2026
Now porchetta is pretty rich, so Hilarides likes to cut that with some acid — specifically, homemade pickles.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
For millions of consumers, the new guidance ostensibly makes the Big Mac — two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun — something akin to health food.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Working in batches if needed, arrange pickles in a single layer in air-fryer basket (do not overcrowd).
—Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Jan. 2026
Along with the usual lettuce, tomato and mayo, the inaugural customer creation, introduced for a limited time in July 2025, dressed the brand’s staple burger patty and bun with American cheese, bacon, crispy onions, and pickles with golden onion rings and a smoky BBQ sauce.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickles
Noun
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Rustin has slyly given her script a focus on women’s needs and feelings, a welcome departure for a genre that usually is more concerned about the men’s predicaments.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Brooks’s screenplay makes ample space to dump praise upon its protagonist while bemoaning her many predicaments.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Three Tri-Valley school districts are facing significant financial dilemmas heading into next year, with budget cuts and potential layoffs threatening to hit classrooms.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
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Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Eating well is a huge feature—from the perfect crepes, homemade jams and market fruit of breakfast to Dyades locavore menu, noted in the Michelin guide, which makes the herbs, flowers, fruit and vegetables from the kitchen garden shine.—
Lydia Bell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
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The initial drop of shelf-stable food products — including jams, teas, crêpe mix and flower sprinkles — has since expanded to include wines, candles and a limited edition leather bookmark.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The crab-eating frog (Fejervarya cancrivora) lives in mangroves, coastal swamps and estuaries across Southeast Asia.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The bald cypress is native to much of the Gulf Coast and across riverine swamps of the Deep South.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The concern was because the final two holes were the most exposed on the course.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
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That process involves collecting acorns and then pecking small holes in trees where they are stored for winter use.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pickles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickles. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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