Abortion and Picklehood.

Are you pro-pickle? At precisely what point does a cucumber immersed in brine become a pickle? I mean, when does picklehood start? Is a cucumber automatically a pickle as soon as vinegar is poured over it? Or does it have to gestate for a few days in the refrigerator? I’ve been reading a lot of pickle recipes lately, and I’m sorry to report that pickle-making is rather an inexact science. Who SHOULD decide whether or not a cucumber has become a viable pickle?