Miranda, a nurse in Altoona, Pennsylvania, had a patient who described her hospital food as the pits, meaning it wasn’t good. The expressions the pits and in the pits arose out of 1950s college slang, and derive from the notion of smelly...
trunking n.— «Michael Vick was downright humane to his dogs compared to how street dogs are treated. There is a type of fight called “trunking,” in which the dogs are tossed in car trunks, ripping into each other while the...
petbull n.— «Pit bull enthusiasts, who sometimes refer to the dogs as “petbulls,” devote Web sites to changing perceptions about the animal. They note that one of the most beloved dogs of television and film fame—Petey of...
burping bedpost n.— «Because I played an instrument during concerst season that was “inappropriate” for marching (the wonderful burping bedpost, also known as the bassoon), I was relegated to the Pit section.» —“My Only...
alive day n.— «The jokes—from latrine to gallows humor—at Saturday night’s roast were all for Cleland as 150 friends, including seven from the Pit, celebrated “Max Cleland Alive Day.” “Exactly 10 years ago today we...
vulture pit n.— «A vulture pit is an opencast operation that cuts into and through previous deep mine workings.» —“Open cast asides” by Gareth Davis A Councillor Writes (Cramlington, Northumberland, U.K...