where did tha term 86ed originate
Answers:
This verb meaning "to eject or debar from premises, to reject or abandon" was previously an expression used by waiters and bartenders indicating that the supply of an item was exhausted or that a customer was not to be served. Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins says: "[...] 86 may well have come from a number code created by [...] soda fountain clerks [...]. Originally, according to the _American Thesaurus of Slang_, it was a password used between clerks to indicate: 'We're all out of the item ordered.' The transition from this meaning [...] to the bartender's sense of 'Serve no more because of the shape he's in' is fairly obvious. The number code developed by soda clerks was very extensive [...]. A hissed '98' from one soda-popper to another indicated 'The assistant manager is prowling around. Watch out.' [...] And most cheerful warning of all, 87 1/2, meaning 'There's a good-looking girl out front!'"
The earliest clear citation is from the February 1936 issue of _American Speech_, which gives the definition "_Eighty-six_, item on the menu not on hand." The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang cites a comedy with a date range 1926-35 in which a waiter gives his number as 86.
used as a verb, to "eighty-six" means to "ignore" or "get rid of". The first recorded usage of this term occurs in the mid-1930s. Suggested theories of the origin of this usage include (in no particular order):
Possibly a reference to article 86 of the New York state liquor code which defines the circumstances in which a bar patron should be refused service or "86ed".
Another theory has it that this is rhyming slang for "nix." However, if so, it would be a wholly American origin, and thus would be unusual for rhyming slang.[1]
Others have suggested that this usage originated from the famous Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City, as item number 86 on their menu, their house steak, often ran out during the 19th century. However, there is no recorded usage of this term in the nineteenth century.
Another explanation is that Chumley's, which was a famous 1900s New York speakeasy, is located at 86 Bedford St. During Prohibition, an entrance through an interior adjoining courtyard was used, as it provided privacy and discretion for customers. As was a New York tradition, the cops were on the payroll of the bar and would give a ring to the bar that they were coming for a raid. The bartender would then give the command "86 everybody!", which meant that everyone should hightail it out the 86 Bedford entrance because the cops were coming in through the courtyard door.
The term came into popular use among soldiers and veterans to describe missing soldiers as 86'd. Rather than describe buddies missing in action, it was slang to describe the MIA as being AWOL, therefore violating UCMJ Sub Chapter X Article 86.
Another explanation is the possibility of a simple variation of the slang term deep six, which has identical meaning, and is simply meant to describe the approximate depth of a grave.
One possible origin is the public outdoor observatory on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, the site of more than 30 suicides.
Another origin related to the Empire State Building is the fact that all the elevators stop at the 86th floor. Hence, everyone had to leave. The building opened in 1931, apparently a few years before the term became popular.
I can find not a citation anywhere that definitely identifies the origin of the term.
Wordorgins.org listed:http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/sit...
There are several citations claiming that it originated in a bar or restaurant. My personal knowledge of the term comes from it's use in the by members of the US military. A supply sargeant once told me the term came from a form used for disposal of goverment property. Items to be disposed of were enumerated on a form with the designation of 86, probably DA-86 or DA-1086. According to him, the Army has used that terms for more than 50 years. Perhaps in time someone can find the specific origin.
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