Literal translation
he crossed the line
Meaning
he went too far
Explanation
The expression means that someone has overstepped acceptable limits, whether through words or actions. Literally, a passa la rego translates as he crossed the line: the word rego names a furrow, a stripe, or a drawn line, an image drawn from farm work where the furrow marks the exact boundary between two strips of plowed land. Crossing that line means stepping outside the set frame, encroaching on ground that was not one's own, both literally and figuratively. Applied to human behavior, the image marks the precise moment when tolerance runs out, when a joke turns offensive, or when boldness slides into abuse. The register is common, used to voice firm disapproval, often after an excess of language, a lack of respect, or a social transgression. It matches the French dépasser les bornes or cross the red line, sharing the idea of a marked threshold that should not have been crossed.