English Explanatory Dictionary

go south

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To become unfavorable; to decrease; to take a turn for the worse.
To make an escape; to disappear.
To give somebody oral sex.
To rathole: to take chips off the table in a cash game without exiting the game completely, especially with the intention of limiting losses.

Pronunciation

en-au-go south.ogg

Word forms

go south goes south going south went south gone south

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.

Synonyms

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

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