the pits

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word the pits. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word the pits, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say the pits in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word the pits you have here. The definition of the word the pits will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofthe pits, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

Theorized to be a shortened form of armpits, i.e., somewhere or something unpleasant or undesirable. First use appears c. 1953. See cite below.

Noun

the pits pl (plural only)

  1. (slang) Something miserable or unpleasant.
    Synonym: the dumps
    Doing it once is no fun, but doing it over because you lost your work is the pits.
    • 1953, Joseph Becker Phillips, Malcolm Muir, Raymond Moley, Rex Smith, Samuel Thurston Williamson (contributors), Newsweek, volume 42, page 54:
      A bad exam experience would be ‘I'm wasted’ at Howard,..‘It was the pits’ at Vassar.
    • 1995, HAL Laboratory, EarthBound, Nintendo, Super Nintendo Entertainment System:
      Ain't that the pits... I'm actually gonna have to wait for another customer in this crazy heat? That's harsh...

Anagrams