the pits

Idioms  

1. 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]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

the pits

Combine all that, and it was enough to put Antonelli right on Norris' tail when the McLaren came out of the pits.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Exiting the pits in the closing stages of the race, Zanardi made a mistake and spun on to the track.

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

In the days of floor trading, those working in the pits needed to be human calculators, instantly assessing how prices fluctuated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

Palou, whose Ganassi team excelled in the pits last April, agreed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Two long fire pits had been dug, and resting over the pits on brick platforms were large metal pans.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss