Eighty-six or 86 is
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...
slang
A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...
.
In the
hospitality industry
The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, food and beverage services, event planning, theme parks, travel agency, tourism, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars.
Sector ...
, it is 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 the term seems to have been coined in the 1920s or 1930s.
Etymology

There are many theories about the origin of the term. Possible origins include:
*
Rhyming slang
Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymin ...
for
nix.
* Part of the jargon used by
soda jerk
Soda jerk (or soda jerker) is an American term used to refer to a person—typically a young man—who would operate the soda fountain in a restaurant, preparing and serving carbonated drink, soda drinks and ice cream sodas. The drinks were made ...
s.
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...
wrote about this in 1933, in his syndicated ''On Broadway'' column.
In this, the code 13 meant that a boss was around, 81 was a glass of water and 86 meant "all out of it".
Professor Harold Bentley of
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
studied soda jerk jargon and reported other numeric codes such as 95 for
a customer leaving without paying.
* Author Jef Klein theorized that the bar
Chumley's at 86 Bedford Street in the West Village of
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...
was the source. His book ''The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York'' claims that the police would call Chumley's bar during
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
before making a raid and tell the bartender to "86" his customers, meaning that they should exit out the 86 Bedford Street door, while the police would come to the Pamela Court entrance.
Usage
The term ''eighty-six'' is used in restaurants and bars, according to most American slang dictionaries.
It is often used in food and drink services to indicate that an item is no longer available or that a customer should be ejected.
Beyond this context, it is generally used with the meaning to 'get rid of' someone or something.
The
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated is an list of companies of the United States by state, American company that publishes reference work, reference books and is mostly known for Webster's Dictionary, its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary pub ...
dictionary defines the term as to "refuse to serve (a customer)", or to "get rid of" or "throw out" someone or something.
The ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' says it may be used as a noun or verb. As a
noun
In grammar, a noun is a word that represents a concrete or abstract thing, like living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, and ideas. A noun may serve as an Object (grammar), object or Subject (grammar), subject within a p ...
, "In restaurants and bars, an expression indicating that the supply of an item is exhausted, or that a customer is not to be served; also, a customer to be refused service. Also ''transferred''." As a
transitive verb
A transitive verb is a verb that entails one or more transitive objects, for example, 'enjoys' in ''Amadeus enjoys music''. This contrasts with intransitive verbs, which do not entail transitive objects, for example, 'arose' in ''Beatrice arose ...
derived from the noun, it means "to eject or debar (a person) from premises; to reject or abandon". The ''OED'' gives examples of usage from 1933 to 1981; for example, in ''
The Candidate'', a media adviser says to
Robert Redford's character, "OK, now, for starters, we got to cut your hair and eighty-six the
sideburns".
[ ]
According to ''
Cassell's Dictionary of Slang'', "to 86" also means "to kill, to murder; to execute
judicial
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
ly".
Other slang dictionaries confirm this definition. The website Snopes posits that the most likely derivation of the term is from the slang "nix," which "carries a clear meaning of 'say no to, turn down, forbid,' which is the primary meaning ascribed to 86".
In popular culture
Music
* The 1947 song "
Boogie Woogie Blue Plate", by
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...
and his
Tympany Five, uses soda-jerk lingo, among which is "86 on the cherry pie".
* The 1995 song "
86" by
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
is about them being rejected from their punk rock community when they started achieving commercial success.
Stage and screen
*
Agent 86
''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...
in the 1960s TV show ''
Get Smart
''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...
'' gets his code number from the term.
* In Pixar's
Cars (2006), Lightning McQueen’s chief rival
Chick Hicks, voiced by Michael Keaton, appears on-track as stock-car number 86. the filmmakers chose that number as a dual nod both to Pixar’s 1986 founding and to the verb, echoing Hicks’s habit of bumping rivals out of contention.
* The 2018 comedy crime film ''86'd'' by Alan Palomo depicts five stories taking place at a 24-hour deli with a theme song composed under his
Neon Indian moniker.
Literature
* The 1989 novel ''Eighty-sixed'' by
David B. Feinberg refers to "the gay community wiped out by
AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
". It won Feinberg the
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...
for Gay Men's Fiction and the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
Gay/Lesbian Award for Fiction.
* The 2009 novel ''86'd'' by
Dan Fante
Daniel Smart Fante (February 19, 1944 – November 23, 2015) was an American author and playwright. He was born in Los Angeles.
Biography
Fante was the son of novelist John Fante whose writing came back into vogue after Charles Bukowski declar ...
is loosely based on his own struggles with
alcoholism
Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
and
substance abuse
Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...
.
United States politics
In 1996, ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'' dismissed the
administration of Bill Clinton firing travel office employees by writing "assume that
Hillary ">lintonpersonally eighty-sixed seven travel office employees ... AT&T; fired 44,000 and nobody said a word."
8664 was a
freeway removal advocacy group in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, who in the early 2000s advocated for the removal of
Interstate 64 along Louisville's riverfront.
A 2017 TMZ article described then President Donald Trump as having "86'd Black History Month." In 2018, a restaurant owner asked then White House press secretary
Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave, and later described the request as "I'd 86'd Sanders."
In October of 2020,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
governor
Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Esther Whitmer (; born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of R ...
appeared from her home on the television show
Meet The Press
''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...
, displaying a small pin in the background featuring the numbers "86 45". Many on the right and in the administration of the 45th president,
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, claimed it was a reference to assassination, though there is no evidence the incident was investigated by the
Justice Department.
In 2022, alt-right conspiracy theorist
Jack Posobiec tweeted "8646", and also used it as a code for merchandise calling for then-president
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
's impeachment.
In a February 2024
tweet,
Matt Gaetz, then member of the
U.S. House of Representatives from
Florida's 1st congressional district
Florida's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida, covering the state's western Florida Panhandle, Panhandle. It includes all of Escambia County, Florida, Escambia, Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa, ...
, wrote that
House speaker Kevin McCarthy
Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...
,
Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
Ronna Romney McDaniel ( Romney; born March 20, 1973) is an American political strategist who served as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2017 until her resignation in 2024. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Rep ...
, and Senator
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (; born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky, a seat he has held since 1985. McConnell is in his seventh Senate term and is the long ...
had been "86'd" from their leadership positions.
In May 2025, former
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
Director
James Comey
James Brien Comey Jr. (; born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until Dismissal of James Comey, his termination in May 2017. Comey was a registered Repub ...
posted a photo on
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
that prominently displayed the numbers "86 47" with some arranged seashells on a sandy beach.
Some
Republicans said that Comey's image was a threat directed at the life of the 47th president, Donald Trump.
Trump told Fox News'
Bret Baier that Comey was "calling for the assassination of the president." The Trump administration said the Secret Service was investigating Comey's "86 47" social media post.
[AP News Politics, Trump administration officials say Secret Service is investigating Comey's '86 47' social media post, https://apnews.com/article/comey-trump-threat-shells-deleted-post-39b37b1d36c0463d3dad41a3d1339d4e, May 2025] Many of the Republicans, including Matt Gaetz and Jack Posobiec, who said they were enraged by Comey's use of "86" in reference to Trump had previously directed the term at their own political opponents.
See also
*
23 skidoo
*
Diner lingo
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:86 (Term)
American slang
Restaurant terminology
Jargon