What Does It Mean To Get 86ed
What Does It Mean To Get 86ed?
If you're out at a bar or club having a good time, being a little rowdy, the last thing you want to hear is:
"You're 86ed."
That means you were done. Finished. Persona non grata. Whether you picked one too many fights, puked in the ice bin, or just had the wrong haircut for the wrong bouncer, being 86ed is the kiss-off of all kiss-offs. No encore.
In other words, being 86ed from somewhere means you need to leave and probably are not allowed back in. For many establishments being 86ed means you are banned from coming back. When I worked at a punk club we had a list of the troublemakers who we didn't want coming to our shows. They were 86ed.
But where the hell did this weird term come from? Let's dig into the grease-stained history of the term.
Theories from the Underground
Like most slang worth keeping, the true origin is hazy, passed around like a half-crushed cigarette in an alley. A few theories float around:
Prohibition Speakeasy Code In the 1920s, bartenders supposedly used "86" as a code for "throw out the drunk" — or in some cases, to discreetly say they were out of something ("86 the gin, boys, we're dry"). When the cops showed up, you might've heard "86 it!" meaning dump the booze and hide the evidence.
The Delmonico's Menu Theory Some etymologists point to Delmonico's, a fancy New York restaurant in the late 1800s. They had an item number 86 on their menu that was often unavailable. "86" morphed into shorthand for "not happening, not available" — and eventually for "not welcome."
The Military and Beyond In World War II, "86" was reportedly code for "killed" or "done for." It had the same finality: a harsh cutoff, no more action. Punks adopted that bluntness without hesitation.
No one actually knows the true origin of the term 86ed. These theories all seem like good guesses or myths to me.
Punk Rock and the Art of Getting Tossed
In the punk bars of the late '70s and early '80s, "getting 86ed" was practically a rite of passage. CBGB's had a revolving door of blacklisted troublemakers — some came back disguised, others just waited until Hilly had forgotten their faces. Out west at places like the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco or The Vex in East L.A., bouncers weren't shy about handing out lifetime bans for spitting on the stage or lobbing bottles at the wrong band.
The irony, of course, is that half the bands themselves were technically 86ed at one point or another. I remember nights when the Germs were "permanently banned" from a venue only to headline again the next month, because, well... who else could pack the room with that kind of glorious chaos?
Hell, there are plenty of punk songs celebrating getting 863ed or banned from a pub.
From Bars to Everyday Slang
Today, the phrase has crawled out of the bars and into everyday conversation. A boss can 86 your project. A friend can 86 your idea for late-night tacos. Hell, I've even heard people say they're going to 86 their toxic ex.
But for those of us who cut our teeth on loud guitars and dimly lit dives, "getting 86ed" will always conjure the image of a bouncer twice your size dragging you out the door while you shout the lyrics to whatever band was still ripping on stage.
Final Toast
"86" is more than just slang. It's a cultural marker, a scar, a reminder that every scene worth a damn has rules - written or not - and that crossing the line might just get you immortalized in the only way that matters: banned, but remembered.
And honestly? If you never got 86ed at least once, were you really there?
