12-9s

Noun

12-9 (plural 12-9s)

1. (New-York-City, euphemistic) An instance of a collision between a person and a subway train, such as a fall into the tracks; used by train conductors in the New York City Subway.
   • Whatever the reason, he found it easy to keep his emotions in check the first couple of times that he had a 12-9. Twelve-nine, in transit lingo, is a radio alert that someone has landed under a subway train.2000 June 13, Clyde Haberman, “NYC; The Numbers Motormen Dread: 12-9”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 May 2015