Black and Tans

I've just gotten in, about 20 minutes ago, 10:30ish from dinner and drinks at Ann's house...I know, shush, let me handle my stress in my own way, including if that means leaving things to the last minute. We had planned it last week, and I couldn't very well beg off, Ann being my supervisor. It was a lot of fun, I learned some new things, such as where the name of the Black and Tans came from, during the fighting between Ireland and England. Black and Tans were English soldiers sent into Ireland, who had to wear half of the English army uniform and half of a local uniform due to not enough uniforms, and the halves were-- you guessed it-- black and tan. Evidently there's a rumor the name came from a particularly ferocious pack of hunting dogs by that name, so they applied it to a ferocious bunch of soldiers. But the full-blooded Irishman at our table reckoned it was the uniform story that's true.