the pits
nounEtymology Theorized to be a shortened form of armpits, i.e., somewhere or something unpleasant or undesirable. First use appears c. 1953. See cite below.
1
Slang Something miserable or unpleasant.
- This whole experience has been the pits.
- A bad exam experience would be ‘I'm wasted’ at Howard,..‘It was the pits’ at Vassar.1953, Joseph Becker Phillips, Malcolm Muir, Raymond Moley, Rex Smith, Samuel Thurston Williamson (contributors), Newsweek, volume 42, page 54:
1 more example
- Ain't that the pits... I'm actually gonna have to wait for another customer in this crazy heat? That's harsh...1995, HAL Laboratory, EarthBound, Nintendo, Super Nintendo Entertainment System: