a mouth full of South
1. An accent typical of the southern United States. I was a little nervous coming to a big northern city like New York with a mouth full of South like mine, but everyone's been much nicer than I expected. I'm not trying to be mean, but Estelle has got such a mouth full of south that I can't understand what she's saying! My mom says she had a mouth full of south when she first moved here from Kentucky, but none of us hear it anymore.
2. Food, flavors, or cooking styles typical of the southern United States. If you're looking for a mouth full of South, there's a barbecue joint on 5th Street. My grandmother's visiting from Atlanta, and she's cooking for all us tonight. You should definitely come over for a mouth full of south! I feel like a mouth full of south tonight. Where can we get some good collard greens around here?
down South
Referring to the southeastern US. My husband's job got transferred down South, so we'll be living in Georgia by the end of the month. We always travel down South during the winter to escape the cold. Whew, the humidity down South is on another level in the summer months.
go south
1. To escape; to vanish or disappear. (Not necessarily in a southerly direction.) Everyone in the gang went south when they learned that the police had discovered their hideout. We have to go south—at least until we change our appearance enough that people won't recognize us and turn us in to the cops. How did these crooks manage to go south? I thought they were in police custody!
2. To fall or drop; to depreciate; to lose quality or value. (Especially related to finances or stock exchanges.) The company's stock profile continued going south for the third day in a row today. I used to be a big player in the stock market, but all my investments have gone south lately. The value of your new car goes south as soon as you drive it off the lot.
3. To cease working or functioning; to quit, fail, or fall apart. Talks between the labor union and the construction firm went south yesterday, so it looks like workers will be on strike again soon. My computer is only a month old, and it's already gone south. How are they still in business together, even after their marriage went south?
head south
1. To escape; to vanish or disappear. (Not necessarily in a southerly direction.) Everyone in the gang headed south when they learned that the police had discovered their hideout. We have to head south—at least until we change our appearance enough that people won't recognize us and turn us in to the cops. How did these crooks manage to head south? I thought they were in police custody!
2. To fall or drop; to depreciate; to lose quality or value. (Especially related to finances or stock exchanges.) The company's stock profile continued heading south for the third day in a row today. I used to be a big player in the stock market, but all my investments have headed south lately. The value of your new car heads south as soon as you drive it off the lot.
3. To cease working or functioning; to quit, fail, or fall apart. Talks between the labor union and the construction firm headed south yesterday, so it looks like workers will be on strike again soon. My computer is only a month old, and it's already heading south. OK, but they're in business together. What will happen to that if their marriage heads south?
north and south
The mouth. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "north and south" rhymes with "mouth." Primarily heard in UK. Hey, watch what comes out of your north and south around your granny.
southpaw
slang Someone who is left-handed, especially an athlete such as a boxer or baseball player. Huh, I never knew you were a southpaw! Does it make playing the guitar harder? Her next opponent was a southpaw, which really threw her normal boxing strategy out of whack.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
down South
to or at the southeastern United States. I used to live down South. We are going down South for the winter.
go south
and head South 1. Sl. to make an escape; to disappear. (Not necessarily in a southerly direction.) Lefty went South the minute he got out of the pen. The mugger headed South just after the crime.
2. Sl. to fall; to go down. (Securities markets.) All the stock market indexes went South today. The market headed South today at the opening bell
3. Sl. to quit; to drop out of sight. Fred got discouraged and went South. I think he gave up football permanently. After pulling the bank job, Wilbur went South for a few months.
mouth full of South
Sl. a southern accent. You sure do have a mouth full of South. I just love to hear a man with a mouth full of South.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.