Three useful words for the ESL student (6)

 

to be in a pickle – to be in a difficult situation. A pickle is a small, flavored cucumber. You often find pickles on hamburgers. You make pickles by putting baby cucumbers into a jar with water and dill (a flavoring herb). I am not sure why “to be in a pickle” means to be in a bad or difficult situation. i.e. How am I feeling? Well, I’m a little stressed out because I’m in a bit of a pickle at work. I had an argument with a director. Or: I am a little worried about Bob, he seems to be in a pickle because his wife caught him sending text messages to his secretary that were not work related.

an eyewitness – this is a person who actually sees something that happened. i.e. Yes, I was in New York City for 9/11/2001, but I was not an eyewitness to the attacks. I saw the smoke from the buildings afterwards, but I did not see the attacks. Or: A person was attacked on the subway today and I saw it. So the police want me as an eyewitness in the attacker’s trial. (a trial happens after a person is arrested by the police – it determines whether a person is guilty or innocent of something)

to be a pain in the butt – if a person annoys or irritates you, you can say he is a pain in your butt. ‘Butt’ is the nice or polite term for the part of your body that you sit on. i.e. Joe, in my office, has finished his work and has nothing to do. He is now a pain in my butt because he won’t stop talking to me while I try to do my work. Or:  Those kids sitting next to me at the Shenzhen Concert Hall were such a pain in the butt. They wouldn’t stop chatting with each other. (so you can say someone is a pain in your butt or a pain in the butt)