86'd
Meaning
To be removed, rejected, or permanently discontinued from a place or list, typically referring to a person from an establishment or an item from a menu.
Origin
The phrase '86'd' comes alive from the secretive world of Prohibition-era New York City. Legend tells of Chumley's Bar, a famous speakeasy discreetly tucked away at 86 Bedford Street in the West Village. When a patron had too much to drink, or when the kitchen ran out of a popular dish, the staff would simply say to '86' it. The number, tied directly to the building's address, became a coded signal—a quiet instruction to cut someone off or remove an item from the menu. This clandestine shorthand escaped the smoky backrooms of the speakeasy, evolving into a universally understood signal for removal, rejection, or unavailability.
Examples
- After he started arguing with the bouncer, Mark was quickly 86'd from the club.
- The kitchen just 86'd the last order of mussels because we completely ran out.