"86" Etymology
"86" Etymology
(OP)
As we all know, the term "86" is widely used today as a synonym for "kill" or "stop". There are many rumored origins of the term from restaurants to grave digging. I first remember the "86" terminology as simply a "lockout" designation for electric power switchgear protection diagrams. The WESTINGHOUSE switchgear diagrams where I saw the "86" code were from the late 1930's. Does anyone remember the date where the "86" device code was first used? I figure that "86" originally had no significance other than it was just the next number in a long list of electrical protection device notations so designated by a very serious committee of electrical engineers. If my hypothesis is true and if we can establish the first year of release of these device codes that are now ANSI codes, then this may finally answer the question about the true origin of the term.






RE: "86" Etymology
RE: "86" Etymology
RE: "86" Etymology
http://tinyurl.com/yd3afuc
Your idea is intriguing and original. Something tells me power engineers are not such an influential bunch as can take credit for things like this.
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RE: "86" Etymology
Bill
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"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter
RE: "86" Etymology
Rafiq Bulsara
http://www.srengineersct.com
RE: "86" Etymology
I do not think that I have ever heard that term used in a civilian context. However, that is not meant to imply that the origin is military based. I do not know the origin but I think that the urban myths are interesting.
RE: "86" Etymology
Muthu
www.edison.co.in
RE: "86" Etymology
In "Get Smart" Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) was Control Agent 86. Together he and Agent 99 (Barbra Feldon) fought the forces of KAOS.
The show introduce many technological advances such as the "shoe phone" and the "cone of silence"
RE: "86" Etymology
RE: "86" Etymology
http://www.roity.com/rc/cbradio/cbcodes.html
RE: "86" Etymology
I also think that 86 had an association with 'deep six', literally meaning to throw something overboard into the ocean and figuratively meaning to get rid of something.
In either case, I believe that for this electrical device that the name is Device 86 because the one named before was Device 85 and the one after was Device 87. It was just a number on a list.