12-9

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Originally a radio call sign used by conductors.

Noun

12-9 (plural 12-9s)

  1. (New York City, transport, somewhat 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.
    • 2000 June 13, Clyde Haberman, “NYC; The Numbers Motormen Dread: 12-9”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 May 2015:
      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.
    • 2020 September 23, Daniel A. Gross, “New York’s Train Operators Face Life After a Collision, in “After the 12-9””, in The New Yorker‎[2], New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 September 2020:
      […] In the parlance of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 12-9s describe collisions between trains and people. […] In 2019, the M.T.A. recorded a hundred and ninety-five 12-9s, the highest number in at least a decade. About a third are fatal.
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