Talk:head south

Latest comment: 17 years ago by Jeffqyzt

Both the examples use "turn south". Needs formatting anyway. SemperBlotto 06:53, 17 October 2006 (UTC)Reply

Hrm...should this be here, or at south, as an adverb indicating decline or failure? It would definitely require a target verb indicating movement, but not necessarily anything in particular. Compare the following:
  • After his marriage went south, he spent a lot of time down at the pub.
  • When the luck of the unit started heading south, the private decided to go AWOL.
  • The quality of life at the startup really started flying south once the venture capital dried up.
  • Afterward, when company profits had ventured a bit too far southward, the CFO began to get nervous.
Thoughts? --Jeffqyzt 20:14, 17 October 2006 (UTC)Reply
Actually, there's a noun sense at south#Noun now corresponding to this. Directions always throw me off as to whether they're adverbs or nouns, or both. --Jeffqyzt 20:16, 17 October 2006 (UTC)Reply
Formatted - very common idiom. RFV should just be removed. --Connel MacKenzie 19:41, 20 October 2006 (UTC)Reply
OK, I added an entry at go south and moved the usage examples (which, as SB pointed out, were both "turn south", not "head south") there (with the last example I had above thrown in for good measure.) At go south, I have listed move south, turn south, and head south as alternative forms, with a usage note indicating that this idiom may be constructed alternatively. At head south, the definitions have been combined, with a pointer to go south. No cites have been added at any of these locations (yet). --Jeffqyzt 17:16, 23 October 2006 (UTC)Reply
Return to "head south" page.