I've always heard こいつ
refer to a person. (That guy!) However, in my JLPT Reading workbook there is a line where it refers to a situation. The explanation says:
「こいつ」が状況を表し....ことに気づくこと。
It goes on to say two of the answers were wrong because they referred to people.
I got the answer correct because it "felt right", but I really don't understand the explanation. Is this a different こいつ
? Is this a common usage of it?
The passage is about a group that got lost in the woods picking mushrooms. The narrator climbs a tree to find the way back.
こいつはまずいと思って、俺はナラの大木に登って....
The question and answer are:
「こいつ」とは何を指すか。
〇 変な場所にいるわたしたち