General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump and Blanche claim 86 47 means kill Trump. There is no case because this is what 86 actually means:
"86" (or "eighty-six"
is a common slang term meaning to throw out, discard, cancel, or refuse service to someone. Primarily used in the hospitality industry, it indicates an item is sold out or a customer is unwelcome. It also means to get rid of something, eliminate it, or kill.
History.com
Usage Examples & Contexts
Restaurant/Bar Industry: "We have to 86 the salmon," meaning the salmon is sold out. "That customer is too drunk; 86 him," meaning kick him out or stop serving him.
General Slang: "Let's 86 this idea," meaning to get rid of or cancel a plan.
Pop Culture: Chick Hicks in Pixar's Cars (2006) is car number 86, highlighting his habit of forcing competitors off the track.
Politics: In 2026, the phrase "8647" was interpreted as a reference to removing the 47th President of the United States.
www.getknowapp.com
Synonyms of 86
Verb: Discard, eliminate, cancel, remove, kick out, eject, dump, kill, dispose of.
Wikipedia.com
Origin Theories
While popular, its exact origin is uncertain. Common theories include:
1930s Soda Counter/Restaurant Slang: Referring to running out of an item.
Chumleys Bar: The 1920s Prohibition-era bar at 86 Bedford St. in New York, where patrons were told to leave via the 86 address during raids.
Military Code: Reference to Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Unauthorized Absence/AWOL).
Door Frame Height: An old joke about an unruly customer being "86'd" (6 inches taller than an 8-foot door).
BBC.com
Analysis by Google AI
msongs
(74,054 posts)Beartracks
(14,633 posts)======================
PCIntern
(28,517 posts)Jacson6
(2,126 posts)86 meant kick them out of the restaurant, bar or hotel. Only DJT's sychophants think it means something else.
I think it has kind of gone out of fashion now but back in the eighties I well remember a good number of people being '''eighty sixed'' out of different bars around town, people then seemed to get a good deal drunker and far more often than they do nowadays so their was always a number of assholes getting ''eighty sixed'' on any given day of the week
Permanut
(8,509 posts)Sunny Hostin was barely under control as Habba spoke about Trump being a great President.
ColoringFool
(966 posts)WE ARE DEALING WITH GROUP PSYCHOPATHY.
THEY WANT TO KILL US ALL. I DO MEAN LITERALLY ALL (THEMSELVES AND BILLIONAIRES EXCEPTED).
SHORT OF FINDING A WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THAT---IMPOVERISH, INCARCERATE, INTIMIDATE, INDOCTRINATE.
John1956PA
(5,081 posts). . . will not meet its burden of proving the charged crime if the case proceeds to trial. A jury or judge would find reasonable doubt that Comey regarded the term as a death threat.
As an aside, I will again mention that MAGAs and Trump's minions are apparently trying to confuse everyone into believing that the term means the same thing as "deep six" which is more correctly regarded as a threat to kill.
It will be interesting to learn what Comey stated when the Secret Service questioned him after he posted the sea shells photo on his Instagram account.
ColoringFool
(966 posts)SEASHELLS ON A BEACH, NOT GUNS AND AMMO ON PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE!!!
WE MUST STOP DEFINING AND EXPLAINING WHAT "86" MEANS! THAT DISCUSSION ONLY VALIDATES THEIR "DANGER" ARGUMENT, BUT FOR THE NUMBER!
WHAT IF THE ADMIN DECLARES "6" TO BE A THREAT, BECAUSE WE SAY "6' UNDER"?!
John1956PA
(5,081 posts)The RW is trying to push us down a slippery slope where even reasonable dissent will be viewed as a crime. It is like the mentality which a George W. Bush expressed: "If you are not with us, you are against us."
ColoringFool
(966 posts)Blue_Roses
(13,904 posts)the morning "news". It makes me want to 86 my breakfast.
LetMyPeopleVote
(181,268 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(106,478 posts)(though that doesn't explain "86" as opposed to just "6" or "56", for instance).
https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/eaw7fwy
LetMyPeopleVote
(181,268 posts)For the first time since the former FBI directors indictment, the president tried to defend the criminal case. It didnt go well.
Trump suggested yesterday that Comeyâs seashell message âprobablyâ put his life in danger.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-04-30T13:11:30.556Z
Put it this way: When even Troy Nehls â who recently said Trump is âthe almost the second comingâ â thinks a case is âa stretch,â itâs clear that the White House is out on a limb.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-comey-seashells-charges-defends
But asked Wednesday about Trumps Justice Department indicting James Comey, claiming that the former FBI director used Instagram to call for violence against the president by way of a seashell-related code, Nehls replied, I think its a stretch.
Not to put too fine a point on this, but when Troy Nehls is willing to say, out loud and in public, that even he is unconvinced by the merits of a ridiculous criminal case against a White House foe, its striking evidence that the administration is pushing its luck.
Around the same time the Texan offered his assessment, the president himself made his first public comments on the indictment announced two days earlier. He seemed eager to defend the case on its merits, though his pitch wasnt exactly persuasive.
BREAKING: President Trump responds to the second indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, saying his life was 'probably' in danger from Comey's 2025 social media post showing shells arranged in a pattern reading "86 47."
— MS NOW (@ms.now) 2026-04-29T19:27:54.842Z
....Putting aside the inconvenient fact that theres still no evidence of Comey being dirty, a variety of Trump allies have used 86 in a colloquial context, even in reference to Joe Biden during the Democrats presidency, and none of them has ever faced a federal criminal investigation or been prosecuted by the Justice Department.
The former FBI directors lawyers made clear Wednesday theyll defend Comey by arguing that the case is an illegal example of political retribution. I like their chances.
I live in Troy Nehls' district. Nehls is pure scum who is not running this cycle because of pending ethics investigation. Nehl manipulated the filing process by delaying the announcement so that Troy's twin brother is the GOP nominee for this seat. Susan Bankston aka Juanita Jean is a friend who also hates Nehls. I had fun telling Susan about this MaddowBlog post. Susan pointed out to me that Tever Nehls (Troy's twin) lost for sheriff and in other races and hopefully people will hold that against Trever.
The fact that the MaddowBlog had fun with Troy Nehls really made me smile