As with many words, its origin is obscure, but it’s commonly used to eject an unruly patron or signal a dish has run out
The former FBI director James Comey has said it did not occur to him that that the numbers 8647 – which he spotted spelled out in seashells on a beach, and posted on social media – could be interpreted as a call to assassinate the president, as many supporters of Donald Trump have claimed.
The controversy revolves around the meaning of 86, which is common slang for stopping or getting rid of something, typically old equipment; not serving someone, for example in a restaurant; being ejected from somewhere, such as a bar; or, in a military context, stopping a plan or mission. (The number 47 could be understood to indicate Trump, the 47th president.) Merriam-Webster notes that 86 has very occasionally been used to mean “to kill” but said it did not endorse that meaning “due to its relative recency and sparseness of use”.
