What does things going south mean?

What does things going south mean?

It means problems began stacking up uncontrollably. Until certain point the struggle against the problem bore semblance of control and there was a chance of averting it – then something happened, and things went south – the situation got entirely out of control.

What does going down south mean?

Definition of down south informal. : in or to the southern part of a country or region She spent a few years down south. We’ll be heading down south for the winter.

Where did if things go south come from?

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The American Dictionary of Regional English suggests the term is derived from the Native American belief that “go south” means to die. In fact, a Harper’s Magazine article in 1894 reported: “‘To go south’ is, among the Sioux, the favorite euphemism for death.”

What does from the south mean?

In and of itself, the label of ‘from the South’ refers to the UK’s North/South divide rather than any racial implication. Lennie James is a Londoner [though Nottingham-born], the rest of the cast are generically Northern.

Where did go south originate?

Where did the phrase go south come from?

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.

Where did go south come from?

What does heading south mean?

Meaning: If something head south, it begins to fail or start going bad. ‘The project proceeded well for the first two months, but then it headed south. ‘

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What does going south mean in slang?

US. Informal. to decline, deteriorate, fail, etc. stock prices went south.

What does south up mean?

Up South, as opposed to Deep South refers to the southern states within the confines of the American South, that border closer to the Northern states, such as Virginia or Kentucky. But it doesn’t fit here.

Where did the phrase “going south” come from?

The mother tongue blog suggest a few possibilities: that the phrase originated in the US, “going South” refers to either fleeing to Mexico or Texas to escape the law and/or fleeing the North during the Civil War.

What does it mean to go south on a map?

Combine that with the arbitrary convention to orient maps with north pointing up and south pointing down, and you get an idiomatic expression “going south”, meaning “turning bad”. Note that these metaphors are not always generalizable. For example, going uphill is not the opposite of going downhill.

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Why did Isaac go south instead of staying put?

Isaac started the same pattern (going South instead of staying put) in Genesis 26:1 and was warned by God in Genesis 26:2, “Go not down into Egypt….” Isaac dwelt as far South as he could in Gerar and fell into the same sin as his father Abraham. Jacob went down into Egypt and his children became slaves for 400 years.

What is the meaning of the idiom headed south?

From The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (1997): go south 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.