eighty-six or 86; short-order cookery language

[Laurence Urdang]

There are scores of terms used in short-order cookery, some seem to be national, others regional, others local.  Eighty-six meaning 'we don't have any more' and a few other things loosely imputed to it, seems to have caught on nationally.  I doubt that these are taught at the C.I.A. (---No . . . the other one: the Culinary Institute of America.)
  It defies imagination that somebody hasn't already written a doctoral dissertation on the subject in an age when one can acquire a degree in popular culture.
  Adam and Eve on a raft . . . . . 'ham and fried eggs'
  Adam and Eve on a raft---wreck 'em . . . . .'ham and scrambled eggs'
  draw one . . . 'cup of coffee'
  etc.
  L. Urdang
  Old Lyme

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