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

It’s intimidating to see how much you spend, but truly understanding your habits is the only way to build a smart financial plan that survives when things go south.

From MarketWatch

“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

Despite those efforts, Israeli officials assess that hundreds of elite Hezbollah fighters were able to go south of the Litani River and join up with other Hezbollah units there after the war with Iran began.

From The Wall Street Journal

As consistent as the players have to be, everything can go south in a single frame.

From The Wall Street Journal

That will be a problem if things go south.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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