The U.S. Secret Service recently interviewed a former FBI director following a social media post that sparked controversy over its perceived meaning. The post featured an image of seashells arranged in a pattern that some interpreted as the numbers “86 47.”
The photo, shared on Instagram, was captioned, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” While the image was later removed, the numbers led to public
speculation due to the dual meanings they may carry. In informal U.S. slang, “86” can mean to remove or reject something, and in some contexts,
it has more extreme connotations. Meanwhile, “47” is believed by some to refer to the 47th president of the United States.
