go south

Idioms  

1. Deteriorate or decline, as in The stock market is headed south again. This expression is generally thought to allude to compasses and two-dimensional maps where north is up and south is down. However, among some Native Americans, the term was a euphemism for dying, and possibly this sense led to the present usage. [Slang; first half of 1900s] Also see go west.

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Example Sentences

“If negotiations look more likely, the market’s going to go south, if it makes it look like it’s going to drag on for much longer, then the market goes higher.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Paramount also offers to pay Warner $5 billion should the deal go south.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

So how many of these borderline investments would have to go south before the fund’s net asset value gets whacked?

From MarketWatch • Nov. 7, 2025

Some have said they attempted to go south but were unable to pitch their tents, so returned to Gaza City.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025

Your son Dale will go south in Wraith, past Cape Wrath and the Broken Arm, all along the coast of Dome as far as the Arbor.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• abandon
• depart
• die
• die out
• dissipate
• dissolve
• escape
• evaporate
• expire
• fade
• flee
• fly
• go
• leave
• melt
• perish
• recede
• retire
• retreat
• sink