Pickled

I just emailed a friend and used the phrase: "Now, I’ve gotten myself into a pickle." And by this I mean in a quandary, or a position I’d rather NOT be in.

But how did that turn into being IN a pickle? What came to mind was something a coworker was just telling me yesterday. She used to cater for a living, and the hardest thing to cater was appetizers. They were very time-consuming and intricate. One thing they used to do was carve a little tunnel through cucumbers, then jam carrots (ideally very straight ones) into those tunnels. Then slice the cucumbers and voila...you got yourself pretty orange and green appetizers. So, that could make sense, "like a carrot, I’ve gotten myself into a pickle." Except sometimes getting ourselves into pickles is really quick and easy, unfortunately. But still, you could say, "I’ve jammed myself into a pickle."

But actually, the phrase was first known in Dutch by about 1561: "In di pekel zitten." It referred to the pickling liquid made from brines and vinegar that is used to preserve food—like pickles. One does not want to be stuck in it. And the first to actually put the phrase in print was—obviously—Shakespeare in The Tempest.

Trinculo:
I have been in such a pickle since I
saw you last that, I fear me, will never out of
my bones: I shall not fear fly-blowing.

I don’t have time at the moment to dig anymore, but I’d really like to know what exactly fly-blowing is now.