Some things get twisted beyond recognition. “86” is one of them. It’s simple. It always has been.
Every time I think things can’t get any weirder, they do. Like Donald Trump claiming that “8647” was some kind of threat against him. It’s a perfect example of how something simple gets twisted into something it was never meant to be.
I worked in a restaurant, so let me clear something up.
When someone says “86 it,” it doesn’t mean anything dramatic. It doesn’t mean harming someone. It doesn’t mean anything violent. It means you’re out of something, or you’re taking it off the menu.
That’s it.
If the kitchen runs out of baked potatoes, you “86 baked potatoes.” If something isn’t selling, you “86 it.” It’s basic restaurant slang. Always has been.
But like everything else these days, something simple gets turned into something it’s not. People take a normal, everyday term and stretch it into something extreme to fit whatever narrative they’re trying to push.
And honestly, it’s exhausting.
Not everything is a hidden message. Not everything is coded language. Sometimes a word means exactly what it’s always meant.
I spent enough time working in that environment to know how ordinary it is. It’s not dramatic. It’s not controversial. It’s just part of the job.
So when I hear people trying to turn it into something bigger, something darker, something it was never intended to be, I can’t help but shake my head.
At some point, you have to use a little common sense.
Because if everything gets exaggerated and spun into something else, then nothing means what it’s supposed to mean anymore.
And that’s a bigger problem than the word itself.
