black-and-tan terrier

7.5

A small short-haired dog with black and tan fur used to hunt rats

noun
/ˈblæk ənd tæn ˈtɛriər/

: terrier bicolor

The black-and-tan terrier was known for its agility in hunting rats.

Examples

In Victorian England, the black-and-tan terrier was a popular companion dog.
My friend owns a black-and-tan terrier named Max.
She read an old book describing the history of the black-and-tan terrier.
The black-and-tan terrier is known for its energetic nature.
In Victorian England, the black-and-tan terrier was a popular companion dog.
The black-and-tan terrier was known for its agility in hunting rats.
My friend owns a black-and-tan terrier named Max.

Synonyms

rat terrier

vsblack-and-tan terrier

1 5.1

A small energetic dog bred to hunt rats

is a narrower short-haired variety of that breed with a two-colour coat

Manchester terrier

vsblack-and-tan terrier

5.8

A small short-haired dog with a black-and-tan coat bred in Manchester to hunt rats

is the same dog but described as a specific short-haired variety of rat-hunting breed

Surface Forms

black-and-tan terrier singular

black-and-tan terriers plural

Morphology

black-and-tan + terrier

The phrase denotes a terrier that has a black-and-tan coat, which is a direct combination of a color descriptor and the noun 'terrier'; a learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer this meaning. Color + noun breed constructions are cross-linguistically common and follow standard compositional patterns, so the expression is predictable for B1 learners.

Etymology

Black-and-tan terrier gets its name from its look and job: the words black and tan show the two main fur colors and terrier names a small 'dog' that people bred in places like Manchester to catch rats. So the name makes you picture a short, short-haired 'dog' with black-and-tan fur used for 'rat hunting'.