I give up! What's with Clinton and the pickle comment?

[funky_bug]

I have asked literally dozens of people what Clinton meant with his pickle comment during the unveiling of his portraits, and all I get is a shrug and an occassional cucumber=cigar smirk.

Can someone please shed some light? I'm truly haunted!

[comsymp]

1. Paying his respects to Mrs. Bush?

Was kinda thrown by that comment too- thought I had misheard...

[funky_bug]

2. I have NO idea, and it's driving me crazy! n/t

[Irishladdie]

3. Your answer

The pickle joke refers to the making of a pickle. How do you make a pickle, you marinate it.

Or is it Heinz relish???

hmmm....LOL

[ShaneGR]

4. No secret meaning....

Although it could have been a variation on "Fish out of water", Clinton being one in Bush's Whitehouse.

[JI7]

10. agree

that's the way i took it.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

5. yeah, i couldn't quite grasp what he meant.

sounded like he meant to say it though. weird phrase. was it "like a pickle walking into history"?

[funky_bug]

7. Yeah, something like that!

He said he had mixed feelings about attending, then said he felt like a pickle walking through history... huh? I mean, I seriously love the man and I think he's the best speaker... but I do NOT get this one!

[SheepyMcSheepster]

15. i am familiar with only one phrase that uses 'pickle'

and that is "hunger is the best pickle"

i think this means that hunger is the best compliment to a meal.
for the life of me i can't make bill's pickle comment make sense. i wish there was some believable explanation.

[KittyWampus]

16. There's Also "Being In A Pickle"

or did someone already mention that? :)

I am somewhat baffled myself.

[kentuck]

6. My impression was....

that it was his way of saying he thought was being dissed, by referring to him as a number, as stuck between #41 and #43...That was my impression but ...

[doni_georgia]

14. Pickles are preserves

Food that has been preserved. Something like saving your tonsils in a jar of formaldehyde. Think the saying had something to do with this. Like - oh well, he's done. His portrait is up - he's a museum display, etc. Gotta be weird for a man Clinton's age to have his portrait hanging in the White House feeling like he's done his bit in history. Knowing how he is, I am sure he still has things he wants to do. Anyway, that's how I read it. Here in the south, we talk about pickling things to preserve them. When I planned on getting my gallbladder out, several people asked me was I going to have it "pickled."

[cleofus1]

8. a pickle walking thru history...

has one big problem....

everyone wants to take a bite!

[Cheswick2.0]

9. He has been preserved

He has been preserved and put up.

[cleofus1]

12. well it seems that

this pickle comment can be interpreted on many different levels...

[Kid_A]

11. His pickle has already entered history...

(From the Daily Show last night.):)

[SpiralHawk]

13. Is that a pickle in your pocket?

Or are you just glad to see me?