Basically, an old pickerin' witch is an old
woman who could aptly be called a haint because she is always making phone calls--usually to
government agencies--to complain about people, neighbors, this, that, and the other. Sometimes at first, she
will pretend to be nice to obtain secrets from people only to plot to use them for future complaints. She does this because it makes her feel that she is important or has power when she really doesn't. People usually get wise to her and quit communicating with her or dealing with her at all.
Somebody new in the neighborhood says, "I talked to that
woman next
door." Then they are told, "Don't mess with her because she likes to get people in trouble even when nothing wrong is happening. Yeah, she is an old pickerin'
witch."