Search results
Eighty-six or 86 is American English slang used to indicate that an item is no longer available, traditionally from a food or drinks establishment, or referring to a person or people who are not welcome on the premises. Its etymology is unknown, but seems to have been coined in the 1920s or 1930s.
Eighty-six is slang meaning "to throw out," "to get rid of," or "to refuse service to." It comes from 1930s soda-counter slang meaning that an item was sold out. There is varying anecdotal evidence about why the term eighty-six was used, but the most common theory is that it is rhyming slang for nix.
86'd. To get rid of, originally for killing someone. The phrase "80 miles out and 6 feet under " was reserved for someone who had to dig their own grave 80 miles from civilization and then get shot execution-style. All terms for 86'd originated from this, be it alcohol or eliminating.
We’ve all heard someone use the term 86 in reference to doing away with something. There are a few schools of thought behind where the saying came from.
Aug 16, 2019 · The term originated during the Korean war, a reference to the F-86 fighter jet; when an F-86 shot down an enemy plane, it was 86’d. The United States also has a Uniform Code of Military Justice that has an Article 86: Absence Without Leave, a.k.a AWOL. The term was derived from military shorthand.
Mar 9, 1984 · The term derives via a roundabout route from a number code allegedly in wide use in 1920s diners and soda fountains. 86 supposedly meant, “We’re all out of the item ordered,” said by the cook or some other honcho to a soda jerk or similar minion.
a. : to remove (an item) from a menu : to no longer offer (an item) to customers. Many small restaurants or bars may run into issues with their inventory. When there are not enough ingredients left to make a popular dish or drink, they'll have to 86 it.
Mar 9, 2009 · An 'eighty-six', in the patois of western dispensers, means: 'Don't serve him.'" The most widely accepted theory of the term's origin states it derives from a code supposedly used in some...
Jan 15, 2013 · Without further context, I would take it to mean that that someone or something was rejected, thrown out or discarded. It's a slang expression, encountered primarily in restaurant context. When you eighty-six someone, you refuse to serve them.
Origin of To 86 Something. The expression first appeared in the first half of the 1900s. The exact origin is unclear, but the most cited story relates to the restaurant industry in the early 20th century. In the 1930s, many restaurants used 86 as shorthand code for “we’re out of this item.”.
