then it all goes south

i realized something today that made me chuckle. of course it probably helped that at the time i was frustrated with what "inclement weather" means down here and the paralysis that follows. nonetheless, stick with me for a second. i was listening to the radio, and one of the commentators used the phrase "then it all goes south," speaking in euphemism for going bad, or getting all messed up.

and i just thought it was interesting. it made me laugh. for as much as people talk about southern hospitality we also associate "going south" with bad things. hmm...

{via wikitravel.org}

so where did it really come from?

well, the minimal research i did {on eduqna.com} turned up three basic ideas. [although i'm sure there are more out there...]

they are:

1. on a map the south is down, therefore to go south is to go down
2. it originated from mark twain's writings. he referred to slaves being sold "down the river" and [apparently] the further south, or further "down the river" you went, the treatment of slaves got worse.
3. it actually refers to the place where the devil lives, and not anywhere on earth

just a little

food for thought