The pits in chilly houses? Rodriguez leaves in misery (10)
I believe the answer is:
gloominess
'in misery' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both feelings as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'the pits in chilly houses? rodriguez' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'pits' could be 'mines' (I've seen this before) and 'mines' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'leaves' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for gloominess that I've seen before include "Dimness, obscurity" , "Depression, despondency" .)