• The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    2 days ago

    Mileage varies. I’ve seen “86 [thing]” written on whiteboards more often than not, grammatically speaking.

    • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      31
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      Also, a single cherry is the norm, perched decoratively atop the whipped cream. So “86 the cherry” would have been clear, and they could maybe get away with “86 cherry” according to you, but “86 cherries” might as well be “69 cherries.” You wouldn’t expect that to mean mutual oral sex.

      • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        You’re right, that would have been the “correct” way, with the “the.” When spoken it’s almost always said, or in the past tense like “cherries are 86’d.”

        Of course, “no cherry” is leagues superior when you’re the customer, I mean really. He was just asking for a high ass employee who fully knew to just do it because they think it’s absolutely hilarious (and that would have been the right move lol.)

        The other commenter is also right, the whiteboards in the kitchen always leave out the “the,” but that is a shorthand on a shorthand. They also probably write like “86 B.O” for “We are currently out of black olives,” and you don’t want to know how they abbreviate Jalapeños. The whiteboard is not a reliable source in that respect, it’s almost code, or like a Chef’s Cant.