Word of the Week – Pickle

I admit it–I don’t like pickles. In fact, it goes beyond “don’t like.” I genuinely hate pickles. And so, I naturally assume I’ll dislike anything with the word “pickled” attached. 

But what we today call pickles–cucumbers that have been brined–are not what the word originally meant. Pickle has been around as an English word since about 1400, but our definition, specifically pickled cucumbers, is only from 1707. Because, you see, pickle originally meant that brine that something was soaked in for preservation. The origins of the process are a bit murky, but one historian suggests that it was a process developed by a Dutch fisherman after whom the process was named.

When the word appeared in English, it was used not only for brine but also meant “a spiced sauce served with meat.” So the phrase in a pickle, meaning to be in a difficult or sorry situation, actually comes from that meaning, believe it or not! It dates from 1560, referring to that sauce about to be eaten–certainly a difficult spot to find oneself in. 😉 

And here’s a new one for me–round about 1788, it was also used to refer to a troublesome boy. Have you heard that one? The idea is that they were imbued with trouble like something soaked in a pickle (brine). I’m going to have to find an excuse to call someone that! LOL