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Tans

British  
/ tænz /

plural noun

  1. informal short for the Black and Tans

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

The force was composed of “members of both” his Auxiliaries and Black and Tans, who were “assigned to Palestine once their presence in Ireland was no longer deemed necessary.”

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 12, 2025

The term Black and Tans has pejorative connotations and refers to the uniforms the recruits wore during the fighting in Ireland a century ago.

From Washington Times Apr. 13, 2023

If emissions were completely eliminated, Dr. Tans said, the Keeling Curve would start to fall, as the oceans and vegetation continued to absorb the existing carbon dioxide from the air.

From New York Times Jun. 3, 2022

Both changes were small compared to how much carbon dioxide is pumped into the atmosphere each year, especially considering that carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere hundreds to a thousand years, Tans said.

From Seattle Times Jun. 3, 2022

Tans should never come too close to brown for a dark room, for nothing is more dreary or hopeless than a room done in that depressing color.

From Furnishing the Home of Good Taste A Brief Sketch of the Period Styles in Interior Decoration with Suggestions as to Their Employment in the Homes of Today by Lucy Abbot Throop

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