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Trump administration officials say that the term refers to assassination, but lexicologists say it emerged from diner slang.
May 16, 2025Updated 4:36 p.m. ET
In promising to investigate James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, Trump administration officials pointed to his apparent reference to a slang term on Instagram, describing it as a call for the president’s assassination.
Mr. Comey’s photo showed shells on a beach arranged to spell “86 47” with the caption: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” The “47” was presumed to refer to President Trump, the United States’ 47th president, and “86” is a term commonly used by restaurants to signify when they are out of a menu item, or by bars and in military and intelligence circles to throw something — or someone — out.
But in some contexts, the term has evolved to mean something more sinister: to eliminate or kill.
According to lexicologists, the term “86” began as diner shorthand in the early 20th century.
“In the ’30s and ’40s, there were numerical codes used in diners,” said Jesse Sheidlower, an adjunct professor at Columbia University whose specialty is slang. “Eighty-one is a glass of water, 82 is two glasses of water, 89 is a pretty girl, and 86 means you’re out of something.”
Even today, it is not unusual to see the number 86 on a menu chalkboards in the dining room and white boards in kitchens.
Slang definitions tend to slide around, though, and terms can mean different things depending on who is using them.
