Black and Tans

Black and Tan

n. pl. Black and Tans

1. A two-toned drink consisting of a layer of ale topped by a layer of stout.

2. A member of a paramilitary force recruited in Britain and sent to Ireland as part of the Royal Irish Constabulary to suppress the Sinn Fein rebellion of 1919 to 1921.

[Sense 2, from the colors of the original uniforms of the force, which combined khaki army trousers with dark-colored police jackets and caps due to lack of supply.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Black and Tans

pl n

(Historical Terms) the Black and Tans a specially recruited armed auxiliary police force sent to Ireland in 1921 by the British Government to combat Sinn Féin

[name suggested by the colour of their uniforms and the Black and Tans hunt in Munster]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Black and Tans

1919–21, A British force sent to Ireland to combat Sinn Fein and using very similar terror tactics. Nicknamed for the color of their uniforms.

References in periodicals archive ?

The Black and Tans: British Police and Auxiliaries in the Irish War of Independence, by D.M.

Of all of the villains in Irish history, few are as ideally emblematic as the Black and Tans. As British recruits brought in to reinforce the beleaguered Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in 1920, their very presence symbolized the alien rule the Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought against, while their name quickly became synonymous with atrocities against the broader population.

The Black and Tans: British Police and Auxiliaries in the Irish War of Independence

"The Black and Tan sneaker takes inspiration for the fine balancing act of a stout on top a pale ale in a pint glass," said the company, not realising the Black and Tans were the detested rabble of ex-jailbirds sent over by the British in the 1920s to kill Republicans.

But what a spectacular way that was for Nike to celebrate Ireland's favourite day by bringing out a "Black and Tan" training shoe.

Nike just do it wrong on Paddy's day

The Black and Tans, so nicknamed because of their uniforms, were part of a British escalation of violence and brutality against the Irish in the 1920s.

Nike had named one of its sneaker brands Black and Tan. That's the name for a popular beer mash-up.

Nike apologizes for shoe-naming gaffe

The Black and Tans were an auxiliary regiment of the British Army.

I FELT LIKE BLACK AND TAN SERVING IN 'NAM; Irish veteran of American war in return to Indo-China

The comic-tragic play is set in the tenement slums of Dublin in 1920 amidst guerrilla fighting between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Black and Tans of the British police.

Shadow of a Gunman, The

Retail displays in stores across the US directly describe the shoes as "Black and Tans" although this is not the official name given by the shoe's manufacturer.

Nike on back foot over Black and Tan trainers

No offence was intended." Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform president Ciaran Staunton said: "Is there no one at Nike able to Google Black and Tan?" The Black and Tans were World War One veterans recruited by the Royal Irish Constabulary as temporary constables.

Nike on back foot over Black & Tans; St Patrick's Day 1

QWHY were the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force called the Black and Tans?

Question Time; yourletters

Patrick's Day, Nike released its SB "Black and Tan" sneakers, a nod to the popular beverage made from mixing stout and pale ale.