go native


Adopt another people's way of life, especially that of a culture from a less developed country. For example, Ben's decided to go native, sleeping in a hammock and eating all kinds of strange foods. This expression is closely associated with the often contemptuous view British colonists had of indigenous peoples. [c. 1900]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.