Somebody told me that - here or somewhere else on the internet - mention was made of a verb derived from a numeral, in the way of "they were sixty-foured". And that there was a lengthy discussion of the origin, e.g. some word sounding similar to the numeral, or the numeral being the number of a legal provision, rule, etc. The meaning of the verb may have been something like "neglect" or "leave unconsidered". Is there a chance to find that word and the discussion about it?


To 86 someone is to get rid of them. Depending on context, it could be simply toss them out of an establishment or, in less savory situations, kill them.

(also 86)


North American

  1. Eject or bar (someone) from a restaurant, bar, etc.
    ‘they were accused of cheating, and eighty-sixed from their favorite casino’

  2. Reject, discard, or cancel.
    ‘the passwords will be 86ed by next October’

See also the Wikipedia article on the subject.

There is also the old kid's joke:

Why is 6 afraid of 7?

Because 7 8 9.

(8 = ate)

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