went south
Took a downturn
Went south means deteriorated, failed, or took a turn for the worse.
The expression treats south as the direction of decline, perhaps from the downward orientation on maps: The deal went south when they couldn't agree on terms, Everything went south after the merger.
Less commonly, it means disappeared or absconded: He went south with the company funds.
Fell straight down fast
- collapsedFell inward suddenly
- crashedSuddenly failed or slept
- tankedFailed utterly, collapsed
- nosedivedFell sharply and suddenly
slumped · cratered · bottomed out · downturn · freefall · tumbled · dropped · sank
Escaped from danger
- disappearedCeased to exist visibly
- vanishedDisappeared from sight
- took offDeparted or surged
- skipped townFled one's locality suddenly
crossed the border · got away · bolted · absconded · escaped · hightailed it · on the lam · fugitive
Moved to another place
- journeyedTraveled a distance
- southboundHeading toward the pole below
- border crossingTransit between sovereign territories
- snowbirdCold-weather escapee heading south
plummeted
Fell straight down fast
nosedived · slumped · cratered · bottomed out · downturn · freefall · tumbled · dropped · sank · deteriorated
fled
Escaped from danger
- disappearedCeased to exist visibly
- vanishedDisappeared from sight
- took offDeparted or surged
skipped town · crossed the border · got away · bolted · absconded · escaped · hightailed it · on the lam · fugitive · eluded
migrated
Moved to another place
- journeyedTraveled a distance
- southboundHeading toward the pole below
- border crossingTransit between sovereign territories
- setbacksfailing, back to square one, stuck, losing, stumbles
- brokenbroken, busted, broken down, out of order, not working
went, south, southern, southerly, southward, southwards, southerner, southernmost