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]

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Example Sentences

They opened for dealing in the pits of the Kansas City Board of Trade.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

To date, La Brea Tar Pits researchers have unearthed millions of samples from the pits dating back 50,000 years and still conduct daily open-air excavations.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

Prowl through the Strip after dark, sift through the pits, and you’ll feel the difference.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025

Hulkenberg succeeded in guiding his damaged car back to the pits for repairs – a new front and rear wing - and was permitted to rejoin the fray once the barriers were repaired.

From Barron's • Nov. 8, 2025

Jeanne spat out her words like the pits of bitter plums.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz