Meaning
86 means remove.
In mainstream use, 86 commonly means remove, eject, discard, discontinue, reject, refuse service, or get rid of.
Meaning of 86
86 means remove.
The phrase has restaurant roots and a long mainstream life as a verb meaning remove, eject, refuse service, reject, discard, cancel, discontinue, or get rid of.
Dictionary card
86
Throw out
Get rid of
Refuse service to
Eject, dismiss, remove, cancel, or discard
Context
47 means Trump.
8647 can naturally be read as remove the 47th president through lawful means: elections, impeachment, resignation, or political defeat.
Principle
Speech is not a threat.
Political speech does not become criminal because officials choose the most extreme possible interpretation of slang.
Merriam-Webster dictionary: eighty-sixLists refuse service, eject, dismiss, remove, reject, discontinue, and get rid of.Merriam-Webster wordplay: What does eighty-six mean?Explains 1930s soda-counter origins and mainstream slang usage.Cornell LII: Brandenburg testIncitement requires imminent lawless action and likelihood of producing it.Cornell LII: True threatsOnly true threats fall outside ordinary First Amendment protection.Oyez: Watts v. United StatesPolitical hyperbole is not automatically a true threat.Associated Press: 86 slang and Comey controversyReports the restaurant-slang history and political context.Reuters: Comey seashell prosecution analysisReuters report republished by Investing.com on legal experts' First Amendment concerns.