pitch-kettled, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

pitch-kettled adj.

[? the image of black pitch being poured over a person, obscuring their vision]

utterly puzzled, nonplussed.

1754		W. Cowper Epistle to Robert Lloyd in Works (1865) 619/1: Thus, the preliminaries settled, I fairly find myself pitchkettled And cannot see [...] How I shall hammer out a letter.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Pitch Kettled, stuck fast.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1876		(ref. to 18C) M. Collins From Midnight to Midnight III 92: He was just as thoroughly pitch-kettled (to use an ancient bit of slang) as any gentleman calling himself ‘Honourable’ well could be.