south

a mouth full of South

1. An accent typical of the southern United States. I was a little nervous coming to a big northern city like New York with a mouth full of South like mine, but everyone's been much nicer than I expected.
2. Food, flavors, or cooking styles typical of the southern United States. If you're looking for a mouth full of South, there's a barbecue joint on 5th Street.
See also: full, mouth, of, south

down South

Referring to the southeastern US. My husband's job got transferred down South, so we'll be living in Georgia by the end of the month. We always travel down South during the winter to escape the cold.
See also: down, south

go south

1. To escape; to vanish or disappear. (Not necessarily in a southerly direction.) Everyone in the gang went south when they learned that the police had discovered their hideout.
2. To fall or drop; to depreciate; to lose quality or value. (Especially related to finances or stock exchanges.) The company's stock profile continued going south for the third day in a row today. I used to be a big player in the stock market, but all my investments have gone south lately.
3. To cease working or functioning; to quit, fail, or fall apart. Talks between the labor union and the construction firm went south yesterday, so it looks like workers will be on strike again soon. My computer is only a month old, and it's already gone south.
See also: go, south

head south

1. To escape; to vanish or disappear. (Not necessarily in a southerly direction.) Everyone in the gang headed south when they learned that the police had discovered their hideout.
2. To fall or drop; to depreciate; to lose quality or value. (Especially related to finances or stock exchanges.) The company's stock profile continued heading south for the third day in a row today. I used to be a big player in the stock market, but all my investments have headed south lately.
3. To cease working or functioning; to quit, fail, or fall apart. Talks between the labor union and the construction firm headed south yesterday, so it looks like workers will be on strike again soon. My computer is only a month old, and it's already heading south.
See also: head, south

north and south

The mouth. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "north and south" rhymes with "mouth." Primarily heard in UK. Hey, watch what comes out of your north and south around your granny.
See also: and, north, south
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

down South

to or at the southeastern United States. I used to live down South. We are going down South for the winter.
See also: down, south

go south

 and head South 
1. Sl. to make an escape; to disappear. (Not necessarily in a southerly direction.) Lefty went South the minute he got out of the pen. The mugger headed South just after the crime.
2. Sl. to fall; to go down. (Securities markets.) All the stock market indexes went South today. The market headed South today at the opening bell
3. Sl. to quit; to drop out of sight. Fred got discouraged and went South. I think he gave up football permanently. After pulling the bank job, Wilbur went South for a few months.
See also: go, south

mouth full of South

Sl. a southern accent. You sure do have a mouth full of South. I just love to hear a man with a mouth full of South.
See also: full, mouth, of, south
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

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. 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.
See also: go, south
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

head south

or

go south

INFORMAL
If something heads south or goes south, it becomes less successful or falls to a lower level. At that point, the stock market headed south. Managers were selling shares in the certain knowledge that the company was going south.
See also: head, south
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

head south

deteriorate.
2008 Newsweek Many months ago, McCain remarked, honestly, that he didn't know much about economics. As the economy heads south, he is routinely reminded of his candor.
See also: head, south
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

head ˈnorth/ˈsouth

(business) (about share prices, currencies, etc.) rise/fall in value: The country’s currency headed south for the second day, weakening 1.4%.
See also: head, north, south
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

go South

and head South
1. in. to fall; to go down. (Securities markets. This is a way of saying down. South is usually “down” on a map.) The market headed South today at the opening bell.
2. in. to quit; to drop out of sight. After pulling the bank job, Shorty went South for a few months.
3. in. to make an escape; to disappear. The mugger went South just after the crime.
See also: go, south

head South

verb
See go South
See also: head, south

a mouth full of South

n. a southern accent. I just love to hear a man with a mouth full of South.
See also: full, mouth, of, south
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

go south

Fail, go bankrupt, decline. This colloquialism probably alludes to two-dimensional maps where north is up (at the top) and south is down. Another theory is that in some Native Americans’ (Sioux) belief system the term means “to die.” From the first half of the twentieth century on, however, it became particularly common among business writers. For example, “Dorothea’s become involved in some questionable real estate ventures that went south very recently” (David Baldacci, Hour Game, 2004). See also go belly-up.
See also: go, south
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a mouth full of South
  • mouth full of South
  • mouthful
  • have (one's) heart in (one's) mouth
  • have heart in mouth
  • have your heart in your mouth
  • heart in one's mouth, have one's
  • put words in mouth
  • put words in someone's mouth
  • put words in/into somebody's mouth
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