1. 
[syn: hell, hell on earth, hellhole, snake pit, the pits, inferno]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
pits \pits\, the pits \the pits\n.
   The worst possible situation, person, or thing; something
   extremely bad, boring, or depressing; -- always used with
   the; as, cleaning the house is the pits. [Slang]
   [PJC]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
the pits
    n 1: any place of pain and turmoil; "the hell of battle"; "the
         inferno of the engine room"; "when you're alone Christmas
         is the pits"; [syn: hell, hell on earth, hellhole,
         snake pit, the pits, inferno]