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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIntellectual Honesty Test. Would you have been offended by "86-46" jargon thrown around a year ago?
I hate it when hatred of Trump... which he deserves... twists the minds of intelligent, rational people.
48 votes, 23 passes | Time left: Unlimited | |
I would have been fine with Steven Miller posting 86-46 memes | |
16 (33%) |
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I wouldn't like 86-46 memes a year ago but I'm fine with 86-47 jokes | |
2 (4%) |
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I straight up love 86-47 memes... Imma go buy the bumper sticker. | |
16 (33%) |
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They're both wrong. | |
14 (29%) |
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23 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
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Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll |

Clouds Passing
(5,393 posts)WarGamer
(17,516 posts)Maybe Bannon posting 86-44 memes and posters in DC?
What does this have to do with “intellectual honesty” ? When applied to Democratic politicians I simply went “meh” — knowing it to be an old restaurant term, not a call to murder.
I had more problem with bumper stickers referring to some Old Testament verse vis a vis Obama — if you looked it up, it was a death-curse against him, his widow, and his little children. If you already knew what it was and approved of the sentiment you could go around feeling all smug because it’s in the Bible. Now, that’s a nasty call for assassination in the name of Gawd.
But asking that someone be 86’d? Oh, please.
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)Then there is this:
According to Cassell's Dictionary of Slang, "to 86" also means "to kill, to murder; to execute judicially," likely referring to the size of a standard grave being 2.5 feet wide by 8 feet long and 6 feet deep.[8][9] Other slang dictionaries confirm this definition.[10][11][12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/86_(term)
Hekate
(98,535 posts)…and otherwise lose your job; or, in bars, be ejected for being drunk & obnoxious — so that has no bearing? Does your dictionary give an indication as to when it meant “murder” ? And why we should know that?
Be intellectually honest. Inquiring minds want to know.
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)Just like the dictionary definition.
Did Tony Soprano ever use the term? Tony Montana?
ForgedCrank
(2,757 posts)correctly. There's a lot of disingenuous denial going on with this thing.
And Comey has a history of doing stupid sh**. Our opposition is hungry for Democrats to do stuff like this so they can run with it. It's very damaging. It doesn't matter that most of us find this sort of behavior disgusting, we are all going to get labelled by this crap. It only bolsters their propaganda war against us.
JHB
(37,782 posts)i.e.:
In the hospitality industry, it is used to indicate that an item is no longer available, traditionally from a food or drinks establishment, or referring to a person or people who are not welcome on the premises. Its etymology is unknown, but the term seems to have been coined in the 1920s or 1930s.
Etymology
There are many theories about the origin of the term. Possible origins include:
Rhyming slang for nix.[1]
Part of the jargon used by soda jerks. Walter Winchell wrote about this in 1933, in his syndicated On Broadway column.[2] In this, the code 13 meant that a boss was around, 81 was a glass of water and 86 meant "all out of it".[3] Professor Harold Bentley of Columbia University studied soda jerk jargon and reported other numeric codes such as 95 for a customer leaving without paying.[4]
Author Jef Klein theorized that the bar Chumley's at 86 Bedford Street in the West Village of Lower Manhattan was the source. His book The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York claims that the police would call Chumley's bar during Prohibition before making a raid and tell the bartender to "86" his customers, meaning that they should exit out the 86 Bedford Street door, while the police would come to the Pamela Court entrance.[5]
Jack Valentino
(2,795 posts)Clouds Passing
(5,393 posts)Walleye
(41,393 posts)I’m definitely not fine with the huge pictures of him hog tied in the back of a truck.
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)Walleye
(41,393 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(27,151 posts)Obviously Amazon didn’t think it meant murder the president.

kelly1mm
(5,756 posts)Wiz Imp
(5,979 posts)I've never heard it used in that context and nobody I know has either.
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)Wiz Imp
(5,979 posts)Mean that is the one and only definition that is ever meant by the word? Considering there are tons of words (including 86) that have many different possible slang meanings, the whole idea is preposterous.
Sogo
(6,436 posts)As a previous poster mentioned, him being tied up in the back of a truck is much more offensive.
Scrivener7
(56,378 posts)blm
(114,220 posts)It’s ridiculous to pander to the absurdity of this horzhit narrative the Republican lie machine has adopted.
There is no ‘intellectual honesty’ to accepting horzhit.
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)
Ilikepurple
(259 posts)Often strings of letters and audible sounds have multiple meanings. Language use develops and changes, sometimes departing largely from its origins. I see you’ve chosen to focus on a presently uncommon use. I don’t care about the reputed origins of its use. There are generations of us that have never meant this when discussing what to do with an unruly customer or out of stock item. Did we really need to get tested on this or do you have some ulterior motive? Do we have to adapt our use of language to your finite exposure to a term? Maybe Tonies Soprano and Montana and google aren’t the best sources for modern English uses. By reading your responses, it seems intellectual honesty really wasn’t what was being tested here. I really don’t know what was being tested other than your ability to engage others on the virtues of language use.
Hekate
(98,535 posts)blm
(114,220 posts)Furthering horzhit is not a noble calling.
Wiz Imp
(5,979 posts)About it years ago when it was a thing? It was never widely used to mean murdering someone.
From Miriam Webster:
While referencing that there have been uses of it to mean killing, the dictionary said, “We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”
You' buying into right wing bullshit. Please stop.
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)WarGamer
(17,516 posts)
Wiz Imp
(5,979 posts)It's the magasphere and only the magasphere that is trying to pretend it's a thing.
EarlG
(23,051 posts)I’m generally offended by pretty much anything MAGA does, but if you mean would I have taken 8646 as a death threat, the answer is no…
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)I mean... there has always been some of it, even back to the early 19th Century but in the past few decades it's become a bloodsport.
I'm not a stupid person... and I thought 86 meant "get rid of" or slang for murder.
Apparently that's how it's defined in slang dictionaries.
What we're seeing in the last decade...
Is those who advocated strongly against authoritarian power are now advocating authoritarian power to fight the authoritarians...
yes it sounds convoluted but that's what's happening...
"those damn Jan 6 thugs... when do WE tear up the Supreme Court" stuff like that.
That's the whole intellectual honesty test.
If you're not happy when X does Y... how can you promote Y doing X?
EarlG
(23,051 posts)Last edited Sat May 17, 2025, 01:01 PM - Edit history (1)
I wasn’t even aware of them until today and my reaction was pretty much “meh.”
For as long as I’ve been following politics, conservative merch stores have been selling “liberal hunting permits” and that’s always struck me as an explicit threat. Compared to “second amendment solutions” and “when can we kill these people?” 8647 seems extremely mild by comparison.
Edited to add: I replied to your post again, below, with some more comprehensive thoughts.
dpibel
(3,615 posts)You've quoted Cassell's Dictionary of Slang and, far as I can tell, no other source.
Yet you now refer to "slang dictionaries" [emphasis supplied]. Did you just sort of ramp up your citation power there? Did you have any support for that?
Fun fact: check out The Online Slang Dictionary, which has overlooked this common, multiply sourced definition [not trying to vouch for the source, but it's a source...]:
86
adjective
to be cut off from contact.
He's gonna be 86 if he doesn't call me back!
See more words with the same meaning: to reject, ignore.
Last edited on Nov 26 2010. Submitted by Britny S. from CA, USA on May 17 1999.
verb - transitive
to get rid of something.
She was cheating on me, so I had to 86 her.
My boyfriend 86ed me.
I need to 86 my job.
See more words with the same meaning: to discard.
Last edited on Nov 26 2010. Submitted by Eric D. from Watertown, MA, USA on May 07 2002.
to stop selling an item in a restaurant, because there is no more.
86 the lobster.
See more words with the same meaning: food and drink (related to).
Last edited on Nov 26 2010. Submitted by Anonymous from Charleston, WV, USA on Dec 03 2004.
to eject from a venue.
I was 86ed from the bar last night.
See more words with the same meaning: to restrict, forbid, eject.
Last edited on Nov 26 2010. Submitted by Walter Rader (Editor) from Sacramento, CA, USA on Feb 05 2010.
Based on the responses here (which, obviously, is a tiny number of people) your belief that everybody knows 86 means to kill is not firmly founded.
But it's fun to roil things up, isn't it?
travelingthrulife
(2,862 posts)How to make a big deal out of a true nothingburger. That might be intellectual dishonesty.
Jack Valentino
(2,795 posts)EarlG
(23,051 posts)People "eviscerating," "destroying," "annihilating," one another, etc. It's rampant in the political video space. But to be honest, it's more because these days that phraseology just feels like a lazy grab for views, rather than something offensively violent.
In fact in some ways, associating these words with politics may have made them seem less aggressive, particularly in the right context. These days when I see a headline that says, "Rachel Maddow eviscerates Politician X" the image that immediately springs to mind is of Maddow delivering a sensible and thoughtful monologue which uses hard facts to point out Politician X's inadequacies in a direct fashion. I don't imagine Maddow shoving a blade into Politician X's stomach and disemboweling him.
The language of war is often interchangeable with the language of politics, and context is hugely important. When a politician says "We need to fight" in the context of winning an election, that's one thing. When a politician says "We need to fight" in the context of storming the Capitol Building, that's another thing.
So how far do we take this? For example, if I look up the word "beat" on Merriam-Webster's site, here are the first few definitions:
a : to hit repeatedly so as to inflict pain
2 a: to drive or force by blows
beat back his attackers
b: to pound into a powder, paste, or pulp
Then a bit further down:
beat the insurgents in a bloody battle
beating your opponent in chess
If someone posts on social media, "We need to beat Donald Trump," it's most likely that they mean we need to defeat him at the next election. They don't mean "we need to strike Donald Trump repeatedly so as to inflict pain. "
So I kinda feel like we're just quibbling over the definitions of words and their common usage. As far as I know -- and it seems from many responses I've read that this is the case -- "86" is absolutely in common usage as a word meaning "to get rid of" in a way that doesn't have to be violent. You may have a different reaction to it if your understanding of the word is different. But as far as I can tell, posting "8647" (or "8646" or whatever) seems to be roughly on par with saying that a politician needs to be "beaten."
(PS. Edited to add, I realized I already replied to your post previously. Apologies if I gave the impression that I'm piling on, that wasn't my intent.)
Hekate
(98,535 posts)Thank you. I literally LOLed.
proud patriot
(102,128 posts)
B.See
(5,839 posts)a year or so ago. Along with Biden hogtied, he and other Democrats pictured in cross hairs, and actual threats of violence, made by Trump, MAGAS, and their elected representatives.
Only, few heard of it (as evidenced by the question) as nothing much was ever made of it.
Because, as I said, they're only good at MAKING threats.
Matt Gaetz insists his use of ‘86’ is ‘distinct’ from Comey’s ‘threat’ as MAGA accused of hypocrisy over term
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)"Idiots are going to get someone killed"
B.See
(5,839 posts)"I have the most loyal people -- did you ever see that?"
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" (Trump)
Ms. Toad
(37,286 posts)Kingofalldems
(39,717 posts)I saw shit like that every day--some with Biden in a casket.
biophile
(813 posts)But I don’t care if they are offended by 86-47 because after 2020 I had to see bumper stickers that said-
Joe and the Ho have got to go
Let’s go Brandon
Biden Sucks
And some others I have forgotten, so I REALLY don’t care if they are offended at this point
proud patriot
(102,128 posts)it is valid political discourse imo.
it is not a threat of violence but is a threat of getting thrown out , fired, canned etc.
Mountainguy
(2,145 posts)Is really immaterial. Neither would have risen to the level of a threat.
And I don't think we need to parse words to make that call.
I can wear a shirt that says "Fuck Trump" and any reasonable person would take that as me calling for people to have sex with him.
The context here is clear. It is calling for an end to the administration, not an assassination.
Dem4life1970
(932 posts)...with intellectual honesty. I seem to have forgotten when any Democratic President over the last 249 years has ever launched a violent attack on the US Capitol, then pardoned the violent offenders, including the people who *killed* a Capitol Police Officer. Someone please refresh my memory....
JustAnotherGen
(35,636 posts)To be nice about a Dictator. Nope.
There is no political solution to this problem from hell.
flvegan
(65,131 posts)iemanja
(56,246 posts)It’s not acceptable now or then. You assume everyone thinks it’s okay.
OAITW r.2.0
(30,464 posts)Pisces
(6,061 posts)We should not be falling into his trap
JustAnotherGen
(35,636 posts)Of President Biden bound and gagged.
I put up with that - they can put up with 8647
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(125,909 posts)First time I've ever heard it referred to as a violent act.
JI7
(92,310 posts)CrispyQ
(39,964 posts)was much worse. 86 doesn't always mean kill.
Kingofalldems
(39,717 posts)W_HAMILTON
(9,311 posts)If you are -- while we are conducting intellectual honesty tests -- can you point to any of your previous posts where you criticized MAGA for using the same phrasing against Biden?
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)How did you know about it?
JustAnotherGen
(35,636 posts)Bumpers stickers and yard signs.
UniqueUserName
(366 posts)W_HAMILTON
(9,311 posts)The fact that it was said and most around here didn't even know about it at the time -- much less post about it, much less get offended by it -- and don't see it as a threat IS being intellectually honest.
Now, answer the question: are you offended by 8647 even though you weren't when they said something similar about Biden? Hell, as I said, they said much worse -- do you have any past posts you can point to where you criticize them for all the hateful threats they made against Biden, fellow Democrat and very much non-digestor of RWNJ content?
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)Yes I'm offended by all of it.
25 years ago I'd laugh at the suggestion of a hot Civil War because after all.. Americans would rather watch football together and BBQ than argue about politics.
That's changed.
Now we see more and more citizens openly suggesting violence...
Hell... Trump came an inch away from being living proof.
It's ALL wrong.
And I don't have a solution.
We used to think that the Judicial system would always keep the ship upright BUT nowadays Judges are as partisan as House members...
To sum it up... we're in a bad place and getting worse.
W_HAMILTON
(9,311 posts)As for those stoking political violence, there has been no one more prominent doing so than Trump himself.
So, intellectual honesty test: do you agree?
Response to W_HAMILTON (Reply #75)
Post removed
dpibel
(3,615 posts)You're equating Timothy McVeigh with torching Teslas.
I'm not even sure what you're referring to in your statement that "in the last ten years ... we've seen an increase on the left."
Are you peddling "Portland has been burned to the ground"?
blm
(114,220 posts)Far-Right Extremists Are Hoping to Turn the George Floyd Protests Into a New Civil War
https://www.vice.com/en/article/far-right-extremists-are-hoping-to-turn-the-george-floyd-protests-into-a-new-civil-war/
Far-right accelerationists hope to spark the next US civil war
https://www.facingsouth.org/2021/02/far-right-accelerationists-hope-spark-next-us-civil-war
BannonsLiver
(19,395 posts)Never a discouraging word for the MAGA ghouls, Putin or Elmo Musk.
BeerBarrelPolka
(1,836 posts)Don't forget he's giddy that trump is getting his parade as well!
BannonsLiver
(19,395 posts)I guess they’re not trying to even hide the adoration anymore.
BeerBarrelPolka
(1,836 posts)I got deleted on that thread
BannonsLiver
(19,395 posts)BeerBarrelPolka
(1,836 posts)BannonsLiver
(19,395 posts)
BeerBarrelPolka
(1,836 posts)Blues Heron
(7,173 posts)stillcool
(34,385 posts)unblock
(55,378 posts)They talked about second amendment solutions, they put democratic candidates in sniper crosshairs, and they talked about executing democrats for treason.
8646 was nothing compared to that.
They've been overtly talking about violence against the left for ages. I remember an Ann Coulter from the 80s I think, about how they should kill all the liberals except a few to leave as an example.
RockRaven
(17,623 posts)A number of such people are having their hysteria today confronted with quote tweets of their own posts from several years ago.
And I thought it was dumb, but also thought it was a waste of time talking about it, and would have found it ridiculous mismanagement and an abuse of power to treat it like a threat and worthy of law enforcement action.
H2O Man
(77,329 posts)had to google what it means.
Poverty and suffering offends me. Not much else does.
markodochartaigh
(3,338 posts)A) A cursory search shows hundreds of synonyms for kill. 86 is no where near the most explicit.
B) Trump is not equivalent to Biden. Trump isn't even equivalent to Bush ll, Reagan, or Nixon. Trying to draw an equivalency is like unplugging your appliances whenever a lightning bug flies by your house.
Kingofalldems
(39,717 posts)Jack Valentino
(2,795 posts)BannonsLiver
(19,395 posts)Johonny
(24,140 posts)Self Esteem
(2,248 posts)



edbermac
(16,218 posts)Comey did not
Jack Valentino
(2,795 posts)and one clearly is not (to understate the matter).
I didn't like the tailgate images of Biden bound and shot through the head,
but I'm completely down with such a picture of Trump, and he deserves such memes.
86 47 !
Blue Full Moon
(2,424 posts)No more nice. No more door mat.
Kaleva
(39,641 posts)eShirl
(19,385 posts)throw something in the trash
not fucking murder or execute
DemocratSinceBirth
(101,042 posts)Kingofalldems
(39,717 posts)ProfessorGAC
(73,572 posts)So I pass.
The Miller reference in the first choice is pointlessly provocative.
You're not polling to get to a point..You're polling to MAKE a point.
BTW: I don't think the term "86" is anything to be concerned about, but if Millwr said it, I would be suspicious of HIS intentions. The context matters.
Perhaps it doesn't matter if it interferes with one's point.
senseandsensibility
(22,842 posts)Last edited Sat May 17, 2025, 06:44 PM - Edit history (1)
And they did do it to Biden, and that's important. And they did worse, such as the hog tied Biden on the pick up that many people have referenced. I found that alarming at the time. Did I call a cop? No. I fail to see any evidence in your OP or in the replies that we are sinking to their level or showing hypocrisy in our response to the situations. They have done worse many times, and our side did not overreact. Comey's post was childsplay in comparison, and they completely and ridiculously overreacted using the power of the government to do so. So, do I feel owned? No. As usual, they are the worst offenders by far, and the biggest complainers and I am not going to navel gaze about it while they destroy the country. Sorry. And just to be clear, I do not believe that Comey was calling for violence and I am 100% against violence.
Bluesaph
(925 posts)But I wouldn’t have assumed it was a call for assassination.
Tommy Carcetti
(44,020 posts)I saw 86-45 messages, 86-46 messages and 86-47 messages.
So it’s more or less shrug worthy for me. It’s been done. Knew what “86” meant long ago. Didn’t really bother me.
Honestly, it is slightly more creative than that “Let’s Go Brandon” bullshit they were pushing. That one was really pathetic and cringeworthy.
Then there were the real disturbing ones suggesting violence. Those did upset me.
msfiddlestix
(8,113 posts)Wiz Imp
(5,979 posts)Who cares? Everyone (sane) knows it wasn't calling for him to be killed, just defeated in the election or impeached. Big deal - of course they wanted to get rid of Biden out of the Presidency - what else would you expect?
Buns_of_Fire
(18,591 posts)But then, I take "86" in the context of "worthless, throw it out". It wasn't until Lord Pantsfull started whining about it that I even considered any other meaning.
Norrrm
(2,362 posts)BannonsLiver
(19,395 posts)
WarGamer
(17,516 posts)
dpibel
(3,615 posts)You're calling out hypocrisy that you imagine lesser mortals engage in.
That helpful chart doesn't include hypocrisy.
So it's actually not helpful, dictionary or no.
I bet you would claim that what you're after is "acknowledging biases."
But, if you think about it really hard, you will come to understand that it's two different things.
BannonsLiver
(19,395 posts)It’s your unironic use of the term. Nice to cap off the weekend with a hearty laugh. Many thanks!
mackdaddy
(1,792 posts)I would not have seen it as a big deal.
That said, I actually love 86-47 and may use it as a tag line.
ismnotwasm
(42,652 posts)Trump can kiss my ass. He had no redeeming value.
lapucelle
(20,301 posts)Chumley's NYC speakeasy fronted Barrow Street, but had a second entrance/exit door at 86 Bedford Street. They would take VIPS out that door when the cops raided the place, and they also used the door to eject unruly patrons.
If the owners were tipped off that there would be a raid, staff was directed to "86" the VIP customers.
The term “86-ed” is also said to originate from there. In the bar world, the phrase means that an item has become unavailable or to stop serving someone. The number, marked right over the bar’s door, was one of the first things seen by unruly patrons who had been thrown out of Chumley’s. “I’ve been 86-ed,” many would remorsefully conclude. The term caught on, and was soon being used by other restaurants, even the police. Before a raid, “they’d tell the bartender to ‘86’ his customers”, for instance.
https://nyghosts.com/chum/

Bettie
(18,568 posts)and learned to ignore it.
If Democrats had been saying it, I'd have been angry, but bloviating idiots? They say all sorts of things. Remember, they were gleefully putting up images of Biden, Harris, and other Dems tied up on the backs of their stupid trucks.
It would have elicited an eyeroll, as those things usually did.
Happy Hoosier
(9,002 posts)I did not lose my mind about it. I was far more offended by Jan 6
still-prayin4rain
(325 posts)I've had a tshirt with this on it since his first term and the thought that it was alluding to violence/death never crossed my mind until all of this ridiculousness. But I did wait tables for almost a decade in my teens and early 20s, so maybe that's why. 🤷🏼♀️
LudwigPastorius
(12,922 posts)take it out back to the alley and stab it in the giblets with a corkscrew.
So no, it doesn't offend me.
0rganism
(25,246 posts)Hell, I'm pretty sure I did see it in some YT comments back then and it was so unremarkable it didn't leave an impression.