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raferguson

Mar 26, 2009, 6:00 PM

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Tierra regia?

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En su primer evento en tierra regia, Hillary Clinton también calificó de “intolerable” la violencia.......

A literal translation of tierra regia, I think, would be royal land, but that makes no sense, so it must be some figurative expression, or I am missing something completely.

Richard

http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

esperanza

Mar 26, 2009, 7:06 PM

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Re: [raferguson] Tierra regia?

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Try "worthy of kings", "the best place in the world", etc.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

sergiogomez / Moderator

Mar 27, 2009, 6:05 PM

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Re: [raferguson] Tierra regia?

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Tierra regia = Monterrey, Nuevo León, the city Hillary Clinton just visited. Someone from Monterrey is a regio, and anything having to do with the city can be described as regio/a.

One of the announcers at the local Spanish radio station is from Monterrey, and it's not uncommon to hear one of the staff shouting, "¡Échale, mi regio!"

The dictionary meaning of regio is indeed royal or regal. I have it on the authority of several friends that folks from Monterrey have historically considered themselves superior because of their pale skin and heavily Catholic background. They didn't mix with the natives the way other Spaniards did. The term might also be related to Nuevo León was the "Reino de Nuevo León" and still very literally "royal property."