English Idioms from A-Z

Eighty Six

The idiom "eighty-six" is commonly used in American English to mean "to get rid of something" or "to reject something." It can also mean "to refuse service to someone" in a restaurant or bar.

The origin of this slang term is not clear, but there are several theories. One theory suggests that it comes from the restaurant industry, where the number "86" was used to indicate that a particular item was no longer available. Another theory suggests that it comes from the New York City police code, where "10-86" meant "to dispose of" or "to get rid of."

In everyday conversation, you might use the idiom "eighty-six" to indicate that you want to discard or eliminate something. For example, if you are cleaning out your closet, you might say, "I'm going to eighty-six these old clothes." In a restaurant or bar, a server might say, "Sorry, we've eighty-sixed the fish special for tonight."

It's important to note that this slang term is informal and may not be appropriate in all situations. It's best to use it with friends or in casual settings, rather than in formal or professional contexts.


The usage of the idiom 'Eighty Six' in a sentence

• "I had to eighty-six my plans to go to the party because I got sick."

• "The manager had to eighty-six the employee for repeatedly showing up to work late."

• "We can't eat at that restaurant, it's eighty-sixed all the time!"

• "The company had to eighty-six the project due to budget constraints."

• "The chef eighty-sixed the dish from the menu because it wasn't selling well."

• "After the scandal broke out, the politician was eighty-sixed from their position of power."

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