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The Old Slang Term '86' Probably Started as Restaurant-Worker Jargon. Suddenly It's in the News

  • James Comey posted a photo on Instagram on Thursday showing shells arranged as '86 47' during a beach walk, but later deleted it.
  • Comey, who has had a contentious relationship with President Trump, interpreted the shells as a political message, unaware some link '86' to violence.
  • The term '86' most likely originated as restaurant staff slang around the 1930s and is commonly used to indicate removing something undesirable or ejecting a disruptive customer.
  • Trump and his administration viewed Comey’s post ominously, with Trump stating in a Fox News interview, "He knew exactly what that meant."
  • Linguist Nicole Holliday said this controversy reflects a polarized culture where slang prompts intense debate, calling it a 'Rorschach test.
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The old slang term '86' probably started as restaurant-worker jargon. Suddenly it's in the news

The slang term at the center of a political firestorm around former FBI Director James Comey likely originated as food-service-industry jargon before extending to other uses.

·United States
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DailyTruthReport broke the news in on Friday, May 16, 2025.
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