This is a list of British bingo nicknames. In the game of bingo in the United Kingdom, callers announcing the numbers have traditionally used some nicknames to refer to particular numbers if they are drawn. The nicknames are sometimes known by the rhyming phrase 'bingo lingo' and there are rhymes for each number from 1 to 90, some of which date back many decades. In some clubs, the 'bingo caller' will say the number, with the assembled players intoning the rhyme in a call and response manner, in others, the caller will say the rhyme and the players chant the number. In 2003, Butlins holiday camps introduced some more modern calls devised by a Professor of Popular Culture in an attempt to bring fresh interest to bingo.[1][2]
Calls[edit]
| Number | Nickname | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly’s eye[3] | The pun is military slang;[4] possibly a reference to Ned Kelly, from Ned Kelly's helmet, the eye slot resembling the number 1. Also after the Valiant comic strip 'Kelly's Eye' where the eponymous Kelly possessed a magic amulet. |
| 2 | One little duck. | From the resemblance of the number 2 to a duck; see also '22'. Response is a single 'quack.' |
| 3 | Cup of tea | Rhymes with 'three'. |
| 4 | Knock at the door | Rhymes with 'four'. |
| 5 | Man alive[3] | Rhymes with 'five'. |
| 6 | Half a dozen[5] | A common phrase meaning six units (see '12' below). |
| Tom Mix | Cockney rhyming slang for number 6[6] | |
| 7 | Lucky [3] | 7 is considered a lucky number in some cultures. |
| 8 | Garden gate[5] | Rhymes with 'eight'. |
| 9 | Brighton line[5][7] | A reference to the British railway line running from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. |
| Doctor's orders | Number 9 was a laxative pill given out by army doctors in WWII. | |
| 10 | (Current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) Boris’s den. | The name refers to 10 Downing Street the home of the UK Prime Minister. |
| 11 | Legs eleven | A reference to the shape of the number resembling a pair of legs, often chicken legs specifically.[8] The players often wolf whistle in response. |
| 12 | One dozen | A reference to there being 12 units in one dozen. |
| 13 | Unlucky for some | A reference to 13 being an unlucky number. |
| 14 | Valentine's Day | A reference to 14 February being St. Valentine's Day. |
| 15 | Young and keen | Rhymes with 'fifteen'. |
| 16 | Never been kissed[2] | After the song Sweet Sixteen and Never Been Kissed |
| Sweet 16 | Refers to the US and Canadian celebrations of a Sweet sixteen birthday. | |
| 17 | Dancing Queen | ABBA's song Dancing Queen has the number mentioned in the lyrics. |
| 18 | Coming of age | Eighteen is the age of majority in the UK. |
| 19 | Goodbye teens | Nineteen is the age after which people stop being teenagers. |
| 20 | One score | A reference to there being 20 units in one score. |
| 21 | Key of the door | The traditional age of majority. |
| Royal salute | Named after the traditional 21-gun salute. | |
| 22 | Two little ducks | The numeral 22 resembles the profile of two ducks.[8] Response is often 'quack, quack, quack'. |
| 23 | The Lord is My Shepherd | The first words of Psalm 23 of the Old Testament. |
| Thee and me[3] | Rhymes with '(twenty) three'. | |
| 24 | Two dozen | 12 × 2 = 24. Refer to 12 above. |
| 25 | Duck and dive | Rhymes with '(twenty) five', and is made up of a '2' – resembles a duck, and a '5' – resembles an upside-down '2'. |
| 26 | Half a crown | Pre-decimalised currency in the UK. (See half crown). A half crown is equivalent to 2 shillings sixpence, written 2/6. |
| Pick and mix | Rhymes with '(twenty) six' | |
| 27 | Duck and a crutch. | The number 2 looks like a duck (see '2') and the number 7 looks like a crutch. |
| Gateway to Heaven | Rhymes with '(twenty) seven' | |
| 28 | In a state. | 'Two and eight' is rhyming slang for 'state'. |
| Overweight | Rhymes with '(twenty) eight'. | |
| 29 | Rise and shine | Rhymes with '(twenty) nine'. |
| 30 | Dirty Gertie[1] | Common rhyme derived from the given name Gertrude, used as a nickname for the statue La Delivrance installed in North London in 1927. The usage was reinforced by Dirty Gertie from Bizerte, a bawdy song sung by Allied soldiers in North Africa during the Second World War.[9] |
| 31 | Get up and run[1] | Rhymes with '(thirty) one'. |
| 32 | Buckle my shoe | Rhymes with '(thirty) two'. |
| 33 | Dirty knee | Rhymes with '(thirty) three'. |
| 34 | Ask for more | Rhymes with '(thirty) four'. |
| 35 | Jump and jive[2] | A dance step. |
| 36 | Three dozen | 3 × 12 = 36. Refer to 12 above |
| 37 | More than 11 | Rhymes with '(thirty) seven'. |
| 38 | Christmas cake | Cockney rhyming slang. |
| 39 | Steps | From the 39 Steps |
| 40 | Life begins | Refers to the proverb 'life begins at forty'. |
| Naughty 40 | Possibly in reference to the Naughty Forty. | |
| 41 | Time for fun | Rhymes |
| 42 | Winnie the Pooh | Rhymes with '(forty) two' and in reference to Winnie-the-Pooh, a beloved UK children's book character. |
| 43 | Down on your knees | This was a phrase that was made popular during wartime by soldiers. |
| 44 | Droopy drawers[7] | Rhyme that refers to sagging trousers.[citation needed] |
| 45 | Halfway there | Being halfway towards 90. |
| 46 | Up to tricks | Rhymes with '(forty) six'. |
| 47 | Four and seven | Refers to the two numbers that make up 47, that being 4 and 7. |
| 48 | Four dozen | 4 × 12 = 48. Refer to 12 above. |
| 49 | PC | Refers to the BBC Radio series 'The Adventures of PC 49'. Usual response is 'Evening all'. |
| 50 | It's a bullseye! | Referring to the darts score. |
| 5 – 0, 5 – 0, it's off to work we go | Referring to Snow White. | |
| Half a century | Referring to 50 being half of 100. | |
| 51 | Tweak of the thumb | Rhymes with '(fifty) one'. |
| 52 | Danny La Rue[10] | A reference to drag entertainer Danny La Rue. Also used for other numbers ending in '2' (see '72' below). |
| Chicken vindaloo[1] | Introduced by Butlins in 2003.[1] | |
| Deck of cards | Number of cards in a deck. | |
| 53 | Here comes Herbie! | 53 is the racing number of Herbie the VW Beetle. Players may reply 'beep beep!' |
| Stuck in the tree | Rhymes with '(fifty) three'. | |
| 54 | Man at the door | Rhymes with '(fifty) four'. |
| Clean the floor | Rhymes with '(fifty) four'. | |
| 55 | All the fives[5] | Rhymes with '(fifty) five'. |
| Snakes alive | Rhymes with '(fifty) five'. | |
| 56 | Shotts bus[5] | Refers to the former number of the bus from Glasgow to Shotts. |
| Was she worth it? | This refers to the pre-decimal price of a marriage licence in Britain, 5/6d. The players shout back 'Every Penny!' | |
| 57 | Heinz varieties[5] | Refers to 'Heinz 57', the '57 Varieties' slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company. |
| 58 | Make them wait | Rhymes with '(fifty) eight'. Here the announcer would pause, making the audience wait. |
| 59 | Brighton line | Quote from The Importance of Being Earnest referencing trains 59 in turn references the number 59 bus running between Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea. |
| 60 | Grandma's getting frisky | Rhymes with 'sixty'. |
| Five dozen | 5 × 12 = 60. Refer to 12 above. | |
| 61 | Bakers bun | Rhymes with '(sixty) one'. |
| 62 | Tickety-boo | Rhymes with '(sixty) two'. |
| Turn the screw | ||
| 63 | Tickle me | Rhymes with '(sixty) three'. |
| 64 | Almost retired | A reference to the former British male age of mandatory retirement – specifically being one year away from it. |
| Red raw | Rhymes with '(sixty) four'. | |
| 65 | Retirement age, Stop work[2] | A reference to the former male British age of mandatory retirement. |
| Old age pension | ||
| 66 | Clickety click[7] | Rhymes with '(sixty) six'. |
| 67 | Stairway to Heaven | Coined by Andrew 'CIP' Lavelle. |
| Made in Heaven[3] | Rhymes with '(sixty) seven'. | |
| 68 | Pick a mate | Coined by Edward James Mackey II. |
| Saving grace | Rhymes with '(sixty) eight'. | |
| 69 | Anyway up | A reference to the 69 sex position. |
| Either way up | ||
| Meal for two | ||
| A favourite of mine[2] | ||
| 70 | Three score and 10 | A score is a way of counting in 20s in which one score is 20.[11] 20 * 3 = 60 + 10 = 70. Three score and ten years is the span of life according to the Bible.[12] |
| 71 | Bang on the drum[2] | Rhymes with '(seventy) one'. |
| J.Lo's bum[2] | ||
| 72 | Danny La Rue[2] | Rhymes with '(seventy) two' |
| Six dozen | 6 × 12 = 72. Refer to 12 above. | |
| 73 | Queen bee | Rhymes with '(seventy) three'. |
| Under the tree. | ||
| Lucky 3[13] | ||
| 74 | Hit the floor | Coined by Ann Fitzsimons. |
| Candy store | Rhymes with '(seventy) four'. | |
| 75 | Strive and strive[14] | Rhymes with '(seventy) five'. |
| 76 | Trombones[15] | 'Seventy-Six Trombones' is a popular marching song, from the musical The Music Man. |
| 77 | Two little crutches[15] | The number 77 resembles 2 little 'Crutches'. |
| Sunset Strip | From the 1960s television series '77 Sunset Strip'. Usually sung by the players. | |
| 78 | 39 more steps | 39 + 39 = 78. Refer to 39 being '39 steps' above. |
| Heaven's gate | Rhymes with '(seventy) eight'. | |
| 79 | One more time | Rhymes with '(seventy) nine'. |
| 80 | Gandhi's breakfast | 'Ate nothing'. |
| Eight and blank | Refers to 80 being made up of 8 and 0 (nothing). | |
| 81 | Fat lady with a walking stick | The number 8 is supposed to visually resemble a lady with ample bosom and hips, while the number 1 is supposed to visually resemble a walking stick. |
| Stop and run | Rhymes with '(eighty) one'. | |
| 82 | Straight on through | Rhymes with '(eighty) two'. |
| 83 | Time for tea | Rhymes and scans[14] |
| 84 | Give me more | Rhymes and scans. |
| 85 | Staying alive[16] | Rhymes with '(eighty) five'. |
| 86 | Between the sticks | Rhymes with '(eighty) six'. Refers to the position of goalkeeper in football. |
| 87 | Torquay in Devon | Rhymes with '(Eighty) Seven'. Torquay which is in the county of Devon, rather than one of several other Torquays which were elsewhere in the British Empire. |
| 88 | Two fat ladies[17] | The number 88 visually resembles a lady next to another lady. Refer to 81 above. Players can reply with 'wobble, wobble!' |
| 89 | Nearly there | 89 is one away from 90 (the end of the bingo numbers). |
| Almost there | ||
| 90 | Top of the shop[5] | 90 is the highest (top) number in bingo. Shop refers to the entire game of bingo (and also rhymes with 'top'). |
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References[edit]
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Citations[edit]
- ^ abcde'J-Lo gets bingo call-up'. BBC News Online. 5 May 2003. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- ^ abcdefgh'R.I.P. 1950s Bingo Calls'. BBC News Online. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^ abcdeArielr (9 September 2020). 'Bingo Calls'. Wink Bingo. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^Partridge 2006, p. 1397.
- ^ abcdefgBingo – Trendier than Clubbing!, Inside Out (BBC), 23 September 2002. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^'Tom Mix is Cockney Rhyming Slang for 6!'. www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ abcGreen 1987, p. 56.
- ^ abBingo Slang Terms, 11 October 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^Vosburgh 1994.
- ^Jackson 2007.
- ^'Why is the number 20 called a 'score'? - Quora'. www.quora.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^King James Bible. Psalm 90 verse 10.CS1 maint: location (link)
- ^'Bingo Calls a Complete Guide Infographic'.
- ^ ab'Bingo Calls'. Wink Bingo. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ ab'How to stay young, even if you're clickety-click'. BBC News Online. 11 July 2002. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^'The history behind the game of Bingo'.
- ^Lemanski 2008.
Sources[edit]
- Green, Jonathon (1987). Dictionary of jargon. London: Routledge. ISBN0-7100-9919-3.
- Jackson, Katie (18 August 2007). 'How we put the balls in bingo'. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- Lemanski, Dominik (20 April 2008). 'Amy's No, No, No to Kebab'. Daily Star. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- Partridge, Eric (2006). A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. ISBN978-1-134-96365-2.
- Vosburgh, Dick (8 March 1994). 'Obituary: Walter Kent'. The Independent. London. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
External links[edit]
There are many gambling niches out there and each one has developed its own terms and language that can be quite confusing to newcomers. The odds that accompany horse racing seem straightforward enough, but the bookies have developed their own gambling language when referring to racing odds and this can leave punters feeling perplexed. Even table games such as Poker have very specific lingo that is used during a game at Umbingo. Slot terms such as RNG or Random Number Generator and RTP or Return To Player percentage, can leave gamblers feeling puzzled too. The biggest unique vocabulary of all the gambling games is reserved for bingo. This is due to the phrases that are used to refer to each number being called out by bingo callers up and down the UK.
Bingo History
Bingo Lingo Calls
The origins of the game of bingo can be traced back to a popular national lottery game that was invented in Italy back in 1530. The French took this game and modified it and it was this updated version that hit the UK in the 18th century. Like most gambling games, this proved a big hit with the UK public. However, modern bingo that we know and love has more in common with Le Lotto, which is the French version of the Italian lottery game, but without the Italian lotto, bingo would not exist.
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Bingo Traditions
Bingo Lingo online, free
When bingo hit the United States it was called Beano and this is what players would shout out when they won. Everywhere else, people would shout out bingo and this eventually become the norm in America too purely by accident. It is believed that a player shouted out bingo instead of Beano and marketing men preferred bingo as the most marketable name for the game.
Bingo Lingo
Bingo Lingo Cheat Sheet
Bingo Lingo has been shaped by the UK and this is where most of the bingo lingo has originated from. The terms that have been invented and used by bingo callers can still be experienced today in bingo venues and online. Here are some useful bingo lingo terms to learn when you negotiate online and land-based bingo venues. Bingo board is where you can view the numbers that are called out. The bingo lobby online is the area of the site that houses all the bingo games and this is where you buy your tickets. CH is short for the chat host that can be found supervising the bingo chatrooms. Chat name is what you will need to create should you want to participate in bingo chatrooms and bingo related chatroom games. Eyes down, is the prompt from the bingo caller that a game is about to commence. Full house is one of the most popular terms and this is the ultimate aim of every bingo player, to match all the numbers on a purchased ticket. There are plenty of chat acronyms to learn too and then of course there are the classic bingo caller terms for each number called out.
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