Etymology of "Eighty-Six"

[Michael Adams]

You are correct, I was misreading -- distracted by one of those pesky students! But to pursue it another step, since we're on the topic, do you accept the diner code explanation, or is that a little murky, too? I have some evidence of it (besides Safire), but it's hard to know whether it also isn't folk etymology, the recirculation of a fancy urban legend.


-----Original Message-----
From: Jesse Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM>
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Sent: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 11:08 am
Subject: Re: Etymology of "Eighty-Six"



No, you're misreading--I'm agreeing with Fred that the
rhyming-slang explanation is unproven.

Jesse

On Fri, Nov 07, 2008 at 11:04:11AM -0500, Michael Adams wrote:
> I've often wondered where evidence of this rhyming slang explanation is.
Jesse, can you point us toward it? Or Jonathon Green, maybe, who identifies 86
as rhyming slang in Cassell's. The alternative explanation, for which there is
some evidence, is that 86 is part of New York soda counter/diner numerical
jargon, where different menu items and other features of restaurant work and
life were given numbers back in the day -- all of the lexical items from this
set besides 86 have disappeared, but none of those reported is rhyming slang, so
I wonder if the rhyming slang explanation isn't folk etymology.
>
> Michael
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jesse Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 9:51 am
> Subject: Re: Etymology of "Eighty-Six"
>
>
>
> On Fri, Nov 07, 2008 at 09:47:42AM -0500, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
> > On another list serv there is discussion about the derivation of
"eighty-six."
> I posted that the rhyming-slang-from-"nix" derivation was unproven.  Am I
> correct about this?
> >
>
> Yes.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower
> OED
>
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