the pits

(redirected from it's the pits)

the pits

A very unpleasant or unfortunate thing, situation, or circumstance. I'm sorry to hear about your divorce, Sam—that's the pits! I worked as a telemarketer one summer, and it was the pits.
See also: pit
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

the pits

The worst possible situation, as in Spending your birthday working alone is the pits, or That job is the pits. The allusion in this term is unclear. Some think it refers to coal pits, others to armpits, and still others to the area beside an auto racecourse, also called the pits, where cars are serviced during a race. [Second half of 1900s]
See also: pit
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the pits

SPOKEN
If you describe something as the pits, you mean that it is extremely bad. Mary Ann asked him how dinner had been. `The pits,' he replied. Reading someone else's diary is the pits.
See also: pit
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

pits

1. n. the armpits. (Usually crude.) Man, you have a problem in your pits.
2. and the pits n. anything really bad. (Always with the in this sense.) This whole day was the pits from beginning to end.
3. and the pits n. the depths of despair. (Always with the in this sense. Often with in as in the example.) It’s always in the pits with him.
See also: pit

the pits

verb
See pits
See also: pit
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive ?
But when the wheels come off it's the pits for clubs.
Fast-lane gaffers are great .. at least until their wheels fly off
IT'S THE PITS: Bevin Boys after a stint down the mine
UNSUNG HEROES; BEVIN BOYS SAVED NATION FROM GRINDING TO A HALT; They risked their lives for the war effort yet were spat at and branded cowards. But for many hardest blow never being allowed to fight
Not knowing what you're dealing with or how to treat it, not being able to make plans, it's the pits and you fear the worst.
Telling my son that I had breast cancer wasn't easy
But Mr Goult, of High Stone Close, Redcar, denied being racially abusive and told district judge Harmes that the gesture he used - which saw him put his right hand under his left armpit - was commonly used on Teesside and meant "it's the pits" or "under the arm", and was used to express displeasure.
Cleared Boro fan wins bid to have court costs paid; Supporter found not guilty of making racist sign set to have his legal fees covered
Goult told the court the gesture he made of putting his hand under his armpit was a wellknown Teesside expression that means "it's the pits, it's rubbish".
Grandad guilty of racist gestures; UK BULLETINS
IT'S THE PITS Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button are cursing their luck
Button: We'll get back on track; F1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX Brit prays Silverstone ends his season from hell
IT'S THE PITS Lewis Hamilton battles with brake problems during practice for the US Grand Prix
Austink Powers; Minnows' last-race threat great for Lew title bid formula 1: chaos in texas
IT'S THE PITS: Martin Whitmarsh and Jenson Button ponder McLaren's next move.
WHEELS COME OFF McLAREN; Whitmarsh admits: We've lost our way
IT'S THE PITS The site for the city-centre colliery
Taking coals to Newcastle; Lorries from city pit will rumble along streets for months
Once I said to my grandson when something happened, "Life is not a bowl of cherries," and he said, "Yeah Grandma, sometimes it's the pits." But someday it will be the perfect place.
Don't fret--you're making memories!
NIGHTS TO REMEMBER: Leon Osman (right) hits his wonder goal against Larissa and (above) Jiri Barborik is challenged by Juventus defender Jurgen Kohler during one of Sigma's previous flirtations with the UEFA Cup in 1992 IT'S THE PITS: Sigma Olomouc's Lukas Bajer celebrates his goal during the 5-1 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie (inset) in the Europa League third qualifying round tie - the Czechs eventually won 8-1 on aggregate
Sig may be smoking - but Ossie's all fired up; We're determined not to let it slip, says Blues star
We'll compile a list that you can send to visitors, lest they disappear into a black hole upon arrival and instead of "Eugene: It's Track Town U.S.A." we become known as: "Eugene: It's the Pits."
Visit beautiful Eugene, known for its ... holes?
it's the pits Miners have not been given a fair deal
Watchdog slams the Law Society
As a local mining historian with records of more than 1,500 mines in South Wales, I was interested to read the article in last Saturday's Echo, 'It's the Pits.'
Viewpoints Standards for miners' lamps
It's the pits for some :The Peckhams also care for the forgotten victims of mining, ex-pit ponies, who have been taken in since the collieries closed in the 1980s and early 1990s.
SNOW HAPPY!
Idioms browser ?
Full browser ?