Possible Duplicate:
Origin of the idiom “go south”
My understanding is that "go south" means something fails. I would like to have a post with the title:
My job opportunities have gone south, again.
Is it correct? Is there a better way to put it?
Tell me more
×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for
linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
|
|
||||
|
marked as duplicate by jwpat7, Matt Эллен, kiamlaluno, MετάEd, tchrist Sep 12 '12 at 23:55
This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.
|
"go south" applies more towards a process than a discrete thing, so I might say, "My job search has gone south", implying a reduced rating of the ongoing search. Job opportunities are static things. Their quality might degrade, but they, themselves, are not a process. "My job opportunities have gone to hell." describes a state change of the opportunities. Cheers |
|||
|
|
|
Phrases like this are quite particular to certain populations, so I would advise caution. This one, for instance, wouldn't be well understood in Britain where the phrase is rarely used. Alternatives are listed here: |
|||
|
|
