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plural only
(Ireland, British) The Black and Tans, a British irregular army group operating against Irish republicans in the War of Independence 1920/21. quotations examples
Intuitively, on Bloody Sunday, the Tans recognized where their trouble lay: the Irish were playing their own game once again.
1931, John Bowyer Bell, To Play the Game: An Analysis of Sport
Close quarter fighting did not suit them. It does not suit the Essex or the Tans.
1955, General Tom Barry, Guerilla Days in Ireland
The Dawn contains two problems for its male protagonists: namely, Ireland's fight against the British forces, the RIC, and the Tans, and the patriotic commitment of the Malone family's sons.
1995, Lance Pettitt, Screening Ireland: Film and Television Representation