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

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