Dictionary

go south en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

(become worse): The origin is unclear. Common belief attributes it to the standard orientation of maps, where south is the downwards direction; in this regard, compare also go downhill, decline, and drop off. Alternatively, it could stem from a euphemism used by some Native Americans for dying.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To become unfavorable; to decrease; to take a turn for the worse.
   • There was only one more guard between her and her goal, and despite her preparation, it almost all went south. The woman walked out of a door Fina hadn't even known was there, nearly bowling her over, and it was all she could do to bring the butt of the rifle up to smash the insurgent's nose in. She cried out, and Fina brought the butt 'round again, and this time the bone must have pierced the brain because the body went limp with a final, plaintive gurgle. 2023 October 12, HarryBlank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 22 May 2024:
   • I still had 5 miles (8 km) or so to go to cross the river when all of the controls went south. The bird pitched up, shuddered, rolled right like it was going to spin […] 1967, Bill Sparks, Wild Weasel mission 5 November 1967
   • I should have walked away from the casino when my luck went south, but I stayed and ended up in the hole.
2. (intransitive) To make an escape; to disappear.
   • He won! A disbeliever, from childhood, in the frequency of miracles, he gathered up seven hundred and forty dollars and "went south" with it. 1929, Peter B. Kyne, The Parson of Panamint and Other Stories, page 197:
   • […]she decided to tape the DVD off to VHS and give that to the kids -- that way she could make a fresh VHS copy when the first one went south. 2004, Cory Doctorow, Microsoft Research DRM talk:
3. (slang) To give somebody oral sex.
4. (slang) To rathole: to take chips off the table in a cash game without exiting the game completely, especially with the intention of limiting losses.

Forms

Synonyms

fall off · molder · go left · worsen · wanse · go wrong · wither away · go downhill · go to pot · go to the dogs · lapse · retrograde · go pear-shaped · shrivel · break down · head south · move south · devolve · go sideways · go downhill · go to seed · suffer · go to hell · spend · turn south · tabefy · sweal · confound · atrophy · degenerate · go left · go off · fade · go south · decline · crack · wither · pejorate · go bad · deteriorate · wane

Translations (15)

he הִדְרִים (become unfavorable) · sv gå utför (become unfavorable) · pt dar para o torto (become unfavorable) · sv dala (become unfavorable) · de auf dem absteigenden Ast sein (become unfavorable) · cmn 走下坡 (become unfavorable) · fr dégénérer (become unfavorable) · cmn 不利 (become unfavorable) · da dale (become unfavorable) · el εκφυλίζω (become unfavorable) · da gå ned af bakke (become unfavorable) · fr mal tourner (become unfavorable) · hy վատթարանալ (become unfavorable) · eo degeneri (become unfavorable) · hy թարս գնալ (become unfavorable)