Controversy Over Seashells Arranged as '86 47' Shared from the Beach
The United States is abuzz over numbers. The controversy began with a photo of seashells arranged in the shape of '86 47' on a beach, shared by a former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). James Comey, the former FBI Director, has come under investigation for allegedly inciting the assassination of President Donald Trump.
According to Yonhap News on May 18, in the United States, the number 86 is commonly used as slang meaning 'to kick out' or 'to remove.' There have also been claims that, more rarely, it can mean 'to kill.' Additionally, the number '47' is interpreted as referring to Trump, who would be the 47th president.
The origin of 86 dates back to the 1930s, when it was used as restaurant slang. Restaurant staff would simply write 86 to communicate that an item was no longer available on the menu. Most commonly, it is explained as meaning 'to refuse service.'
However, more recently, the meaning has been extended to 'to kill,' but it is noted that this usage is very rare and relatively new, so this meaning is generally not included.
Jesse Sheidlower, a Columbia University professor and former editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, explained to the Associated Press on May 17 (local time) that "the original meaning of 86 is that something has run out, but there are various metaphorical extensions derived from this." He added, "The concept evolved naturally from 'something that no longer exists or should not be present, like an unwanted guest,' to the verb meaning 'to kick someone out.'"
The appearance of the bumbling agent 'Agent 86' in the popular 1960s show 'Get Smart' is another example of this slang being used humorously. Taken together, while 86 has also come to mean 'to kill someone,' such usage appears to be uncommon.
However, former Director Comey's message was interpreted politically, causing significant controversy. Conservative politicians and Trump supporters strongly criticized him. Taylor Budowich, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, criticized, "While President Trump is on a Middle East tour, the former FBI Director sent a message 'attacking' the sitting U.S. President." Donald Trump Jr. also posted on X (formerly Twitter), "James Comey incited people to kill my father."
As the controversy grew, Comey deleted the message and wrote, "I did not realize that some people would associate these numbers with violence," adding, "I oppose all violence."
Meanwhile, Comey, who served as FBI Director from 2013 to 2017, oversaw the FBI's investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the Hillary Clinton email controversy, and was dismissed by President Trump in May 2017.
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