The Collaborative International Dictionary
Rurales \Ru*ra"les\ (r[.u]*r[=a]"l[=e]z), n. pl. [NL.] (Zo["o]l.) The gossamer-winged butterflies; a family of small butterflies, including the hairstreaks, violets, and theclas.
Wikipedia
Rurales ( Spanish for "Rurals") is a Mexican term used to describe two different government forces:
- The Guardia Rural (Rural Guard): a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that existed between 1861 and 1914.
- The modern Cuerpo de Defensa Rural (Rural Defense Corps): members of a part-time voluntary militia, used to support federal forces, like the ones deployed in the State of Michoacan as Parapolice to fight against local drug cartels.
Usage examples of "rurales".
Tonight los rurales came over the border and grabbed Don Julio Valdez, on Americano soil!
Every time I try to arrest some rascal down Mexico way the infernal rurales seem to want me on the less comfortable side of a firing squad.
Since los rurales tended to shoot at him a lot, south of the border, he thought it only right to return the favor when the sons-of-bitches rode north of their own jurisdiction.
He was annoyed at los rurales, but not as mystified by their sudden appearance.
Los rurales were no damned good as human beings, but they were good cavalry irregulars.
Then allow me to point out there is no way for the triple-titted rurales to take Don Julio south, right now.
Don Julio out of no Mexican jail with him surrounded by at least a company of rurales on the prod.
From the point of view of the rurales who thought they were holding Valdez overnight in a safe place, the festivities seemed even more confusing.
They did, with the rough skills los rurales were notorious for, albeit without their usual needless brutality.
Other hotel guests were more surprised, made more of a fuss, and some of them wound up naked on the floor, with bruises, as los rurales looked under every bed and in every closet.
They sweated bullets going down all those stairs, but as they crossed the lobby they saw one of the rurales posted there barely glanced their way and his pal, bent over in a chair, never even looked up.
Few rurales or federales who come in for to get drunk or laid could know there is a third story, above the cribs, see?
But a short time ago la policia and some rurales lined us all up out front and Made us tell them the stories of our lives.
And so, while some in the rear ranks still voiced a few reservations, Longarm was soon leading the ragged column of gray-clad rurales across the parade of Fort Bliss toward the guardhouse.
But, of course, none of them got all that far with the guard detail blazing away with rifles, and more than one pistol firing from windows all around as the confused rurales milled in dusty confusion until every saddle was empty.