pretty pickle
A particularly troublesome or difficult predicament. Boy, am I in a pretty pickle—I accidentally made plans to meet with two different clients at the same time today. Don't worry, I've been in prettier pickles than this. Well, this is a pretty pickle, isn't it? What can we do to get out of it?
pretty pickle
Fig. a difficult situation. (Pickle = a bad situation.) Well, this is a pretty pickle you've gotten us into.