Pickle Anne gets out of cruelty (4)
I believe the answer is:
mess
'pickle' is the definition.
(both can mean a difficult situation)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for mess that I've seen before include "stew or > jam" , "Army dining place" , "Officers' restaurant - what a dump" , "Confused person" , "State of confusion and disorderliness" .)