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Glite Dictionary
black and tan

black and tan

5.6
A drink made by pouring dark beer over pale beer so two layers stay separate
  • noun
  • /blæk ənd tæn/
translation icon : negro y rubio
  • The bartender expertly layered the black and tan, showcasing the rich colors of the stout and ale.

Examples

  • I'll have a black and tan, please; the combination of dark stout and pale ale is my favorite.

  • Another black and tan, if you please, Mr. O'Daugherty.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • At the local pub, I ordered a black and tan to enjoy while watching the game.

Surface Forms

black and tan singular
black and tans plural

Morphology

black + and + tan

The words 'black' and 'tan' clearly signal a two-coloured combination, so a learner who knows the constituents can guess the phrase refers to something made of a black and a tan component. However, the specific conventional meaning — a particular mixed beer (stout and pale ale) poured to form two layers — is culturally specific and not fully predictable from the words alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The noun black and tan comes from the drink's two colours. Bartenders pour a dark stout and then a pale ale so black and tan form 'two layers' in the glass, which is why the phrase means 'a mixed drink of dark and pale beer'.