the pits en · NOUN
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.
Meanings
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(plural, plural-only, slang) Something miserable or unpleasant.
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: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:This whole experience has been the pits.