In a pickle

To be in a pickle means to be in a troublesome or unpleasant situation, and dates from the mid-16th century. This figurative sense presumably derives from the allusion of being immersed in a brine or vinegar solution, which would be most unpleasant. Shakespeare uses it figuratively in The Tempest (1611) Act V, Scene I, “How cam’st thou in this pickle?” This figurative usage was well established by Shakespeare’s time, so he cannot be credited for coining it.