Pub-goers warned about '86' code number which you don't want to hear over Christmas

This Christmas there's all sorts of reasons to pop into the pub, maybe you're having your Christmas dinner in there.

Or perhaps you want to drink something without quaffing from your own stock of festive treats.

If you're there keep your ears out for the staff using codes, and the one code you definitely don't want to hear.

Yes, bartenders have their own secret codes and language so they can talk without anyone else knowing what they mean.

Except you after you've read this, obviously.

And, it seems a lot of the codes are in numerical form to portray any given message at an even stealthier rate.

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Now, if a customer is waiting and still needs to be served - the shortcut code to use is '200'.

However, it's '700' if you're referring to a particularly attractive customer.

The number '50' is also apparently code for 'catch'.

While many of these code numbers wouldn't matter much to a punter, and maybe even flattering if it's '700', there's one specific number you really don't want to have thrown your way.

You should definitely keep your ears pricked for the number '86' the next time things get a tad rowdy in your local boozer.

While the term 'to be 86ed' has a pretty rich history with different people putting forward different origins for the word, many bartenders nowadays understand it to mean one thing and one thing only.

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It's effectively used to describe customers who need to be kicked out from an establishment for bad behaviour.

You definitely wouldn't want to hear a pub you were having Christmas dinner at say they were going to '86' the turkey.

Within the bartending industry, certain ingredients can get 86'd which basically means when a staff member has run out of something or wants it rid of - they will 86 it.

And it's not just gone-off lemon wedges and flat soda that can get annexed from a pub - as it can just as easily happen to patrons too.

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Danilo Božović, bartender and author of Barkeep: The Art of Mixology, Bar and Cocktails, told VinePair: "It’s very hard to be 86'd.

"It all depends on the establishment, but usually when you are 86'd, that means you’ve really, really done it."

That could mean anything from being too drunk and acting violent to disturbing other customers and generally just being a bit of a donut.

Božović continued to explain: "And when you are 86ed, 86 usually lasts for a year.

"If that person tries to come back, they tell them, 'Sorry, you’re not allowed in this establishment for the next year'."

So, keep that in mind next time you have a bit too much at your local.

Topics: Pubs, Food And Drink, Christmas

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.