# go south

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/go-south
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To become unfavorable; to decrease; to take a turn for the worse.

## Examples

- The meeting started well but soon went south.
- Everything was going according to plan until the weather went south and we had to cancel the picnic.
- When the economy went south, the company was forced to reduce its workforce and cut all non-essential spending.

## Origin

The origin remains unclear, though common belief attributes the idiom to the standard orientation of maps. In this reading, the word follows the logic of the downwards direction on the page, aligning with related expressions such as go downhill, decline, or drop off. The movement is one of simple verticality; a situation goes south because south is where the bottom of the map resides. Alternatively, the phrase is suggested to stem from a euphemism for dying used by some Native Americans. In this version, the direction is associated not with the bottom of a page, but with a final departure. Whether the idiom entered the language through the cartographer’s desk or the gravity of mortality remains a matter of unsettled speculation. (disputed)

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.