where did the phrase "go south" or "went south" come from?

In the northern-hemisphere chauvinist’s view, south=down idiomatically. Couple that with a “more is more” culture, and you have the implication that any move in the downward direction equals a decrease and therefore must be bad.

…If sundials were invented in the southern hemisphere, ‘clockwise’ would be the opposite way too!

The mother tongue blog suggest a few possibilities: that the phrase originated in the US, “going South” refers to either fleeing to Mexico or Texas to escape the law and/or fleeing the North during the Civil War.

There is no etymological support for Schenectandy’s view, as the phrase “gone south” has changed meaning a couple of times since its first recorded instance. It originally meant “to disappear, vanish or skip town,” often by going south to Mexico or Texas. It has morphed over time to its current meaning.

yeah I was just conjecturing.. it sure had truthiness though!

I used the phrase “headed south” to refer to a bathroom fixture that was falling through the floor. (South as euphemism for down) Nonetheless the pejorative (sp?) connotation persists… mostly I agree with Schenectandy and soundedfury: I’d caution using this phrase casually for these connotations can be misunderstood.