Where does the phrase, "The natives are getting restless" come from?
The phrase the natives are getting restless is an idiomatic expression that likely originated in the context of colonial or imperial settings, particularly during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was often used by European colonizers or explorers to describe a growing sense of unease, impatience, or agitation among the indigenous populations they encountered or governed. The term natives referred to the local inhabitants of colonized regions, while restless implied a brewing discontent or potential for uprising against foreign control.
Though pinpointing an exact origin is tricky, since it emerged organically in English vernacular, its usage aligns with the period of British and other European colonial expansion, especially in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. It carries a somewhat condescending or paternalistic tone, reflecting the perspective of outsiders viewing indigenous people as unpredictable or subordinate. The phrase gained broader traction in popular culture, including literature, film, and casual speech, often detached from its original colonial context.
By the mid-20th century, it started appearing in more ironic or humorous contexts, like in movies or books depicting explorers in exotic lands, sometimes with a clichéd drumbeat in the background to signal trouble brewing. Today, it is often used metaphorically to describe any group growing impatient or unruly, stripped of its historical baggage for most speakers. Without a single definitive source, it is best understood as a linguistic relic of colonial attitudes that evolved into a general figure of speech.
What would a definition of its modern usage be?
In modern usage, the natives are getting restless is a colloquial phrase that means a group of people, often subordinates, onlookers, or those waiting for something, are becoming impatient, agitated, or dissatisfied with a situation. It is typically used in a lighthearted or slightly sarcastic way to suggest that restlessness is building, often due to delays, inaction, or unmet expectations. The natives part no longer specifically refers to indigenous people but rather any collective group, like employees, an audience, or even friends waiting around.
For example, someone might say it during a long meeting, The natives are getting restless—better wrap this up!, or when a crowd starts grumbling at a delayed event. The phrase keeps a hint of its original dramatic flair but is now more about everyday impatience than serious unrest.
Was this phrase, in historical or modern context, ever used in literature?
Yes, the phrase the natives are getting restless (or close variations) has appeared in literature, both in its historical colonial context and in modern, more metaphorical uses. While it does not always show up verbatim in famous works, its sentiment and phrasing echo through texts that reflect colonial encounters or restless group dynamics.
Historically, the phrase aligns with the tone of 19th- and early 20th-century adventure and colonial literature. For instance, authors like Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, or H. Rider Haggard, whose works often depict tense interactions between European outsiders and local populations, capture the kind of atmosphere where such a line could fit. In Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines (1885), there is no exact quote, but the recurring theme of wary explorers sensing agitation among African tribes mirrors the phrase’s colonial roots. Similarly, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899) conveys a brooding unease among the natives under European control, though the phrase itself is not used. It is more a staple of the era’s vernacular that writers might have assumed readers understood.
In modern literature, the phrase shifts to a broader, often ironic usage. It pops up in dialogue or narration to signal impatience or brewing chaos in a variety of settings. For example, in Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards! (1989), a satirical fantasy novel, the line does not appear verbatim, but the restless discontent of Ankh-Morpork’s citizens carries a similar vibe, Pratchett’s humor could easily have spun it into a quip. More explicitly, contemporary novels or scripts might use it for comedic effect, like in detective stories or workplace dramas where a character notes a crowd or team growing antsy.
The phrase also found a home in 20th-century pulp fiction and Hollywood tie-ins, where it became a trope for explorers or soldiers in exotic lands. Think of old adventure serials or B-movies, lines like it often punctuated scenes with drums and torch-waving locals. In print, pulp magazines like Argosy or Adventure from the 1920s-1940s occasionally leaned on such stock phrases to heighten tension.
So, while it is not a hallmark quote from a single iconic work, its presence in literature spans both serious historical tones and lighter modern riffs, evolving from a colonial observation to a versatile idiom.
So if this is used to describe people, of say a third world country, how would it be received?
Using the natives are getting restless to describe people in a third-world country today would likely be received poorly, depending on the context and audience. The phrase’s colonial origins, tied to a history of European domination and a condescending view of indigenous or non-Western populations, give it a loaded undertone. If said by an outsider, like a Westerner, about people in, say, an African, Asian, or Latin American nation, it could easily come off as patronizing, racist, or dismissive of their agency. It risks implying that the people are primitive or unruly, echoing outdated stereotypes from the imperial era.
In casual speech or writing, even if meant jokingly, it might still stir unease or offense, especially among those aware of its historical baggage or sensitive to postcolonial dynamics. For example, a journalist or politician using it to describe unrest in a developing country could face backlash for insensitivity, think social media pile-ons or accusations of neo-colonial attitudes. In 2025, with global awareness of cultural nuance higher than ever, the phrase’s old-world vibe would not fly under the radar easily.
That said, reception depends on intent and delivery. If it is clearly ironic or self-aware, like a local satirist using it to mock their own community’s impatience, it might land as humor. But from an external perspective, particularly from a position of privilege, it is a minefield. Most would see it as punching down or trivializing complex social realities, like poverty or political instability, reducing them to a cliché. Safer to skip it altogether in that context; modern alternatives like people are getting fed up dodge the baggage while keeping the point.