be in a pickle

slang To be in a troublesome situation. Boy, am I in a pickle—I accidentally made plans with two different men tonight! We're in a real pickle now because the hotel gave our room away! Oh, we're in a pickle, all right! Just how are we going to explain this to the boss without getting fired?

be in a pretty pickle

slang To be in a particularly troublesome situation. Boy, am I in a pretty pickle now—I accidentally made plans with two different men tonight! We forgot to book a hotel room before we left. We'll be in a pretty pickle if the hotel doesn't have any rooms free when we get there! Oh, we're in a pretty pickle, all right! Just how are we going to explain this to the boss without getting fired?