In the UK, bingo numbers have nicknames, also known as bingo calls or bingo lingo. They ring out in bingo halls across the nation, called by charismatic bingo callers to add a more vibrant, enjoyable and energetic feel to the numbers game.
Bingo calls originated in the UK but have quickly spread worldwide, and in some cases, they have also been adapted to better suit the audience. Anyone who has played at a UK bingo hall may have found himself or herself confused by the vast number of specific bingo calls. To unlock and understand some, rhyme is the key, but others need a little bit of context to explain.
Luckily for you, we’ve debunked the original UK traditional bingo calls below and collected and sourced out the common ones used worldwide to make an interactive chart for you to test your bingo call memory skills and a bingo lingo quiz. Many bingo numbers have very witty and creative bingo calls associated with them and knowing some will help you settle into any bingo hall and start having fun!
UK Bingo Calls Explained
• One: Kelly’s Eye: believed to be either a tribute to Ned Kelly an Australian folk hero or originating from military slang.
• Two: One Little Duck: The number 2 looks like a lone little duck- this bingo call is easy to remember; just think of the shape!
• Three: Cup of Tea: You may be confused if the bingo caller offers you a cup of tea; he simply means the number 3.
• Four: Knock at the Door: This bingo call is adapted from the famous nursery.
• Five: Man Alive: this was a pioneering 1965 BBC documentary that secured mass audiences and became a favoured bingo call throughout the UK.
• Six: Tom Mix: an original cowboy hero of silent cinema, famous for performing his own stunts.
• Seven: Lucky Seven: lucky and known in casino and bingo halls worldwide.
• Eight: Garden Gate: this bingo call is classic Cockney rhyme and slang.
• Nine: Doctor’s Orders: originating from World War Two, a number 9 pill was a laxative to purge the body of ills when a specific diagnosis was not possible.
• Ten: *insert Prime Minister*’s Den: this reflects number 10 Downing Street and has changed with the PM.
• Eleven: Legs 11: another Visual bingo call as the number 11 looks like a pair of legs. In live bingo halls, you may hear players respond to this call with a whistle.
• Twelve: One Dozen
• Thirteen: Unlucky for Some: considered unlucky in most Western countries.
• Fourteen: Valentine’s Day.
• Fifteen: Young and keen: or if you’re not, try out “Rugby Team”.
• Sixteen: Sweet 16: A milestone birthday around the world.
• Seventeen: Dancing Queen: Pays homage to the golden age of ABBA hits.
• Eighteen: Coming of Age: referencing the point where teens become adults, this is also interchangeable with “now you can vote”.
• Nineteen: Goodbye Teens: your last childhood milestone birthday before turning 20 and assuming all your adult responsibilities.
• Twenty: One Score: a score is older vocab for 20. In particular, this bingo call references Abe Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address- “four score and seven years ago”.
• Twenty-One: Royal Salute: a 21-gun salute given in military and royal parades.
• Twenty-Two: Two Little Ducks: a visual bingo call, think of the shapes, your first little duck now has a companion!
• Twenty-Three: Thee and Me
• Twenty-Four: Two Dozen
• Twenty-Five: Duck and Dive: if the number 2 is a duck, and 5 later appears as a snake, then this is easy to get. A duck would dive away from a snake.
• Twenty-Six: Pick and Mix
• Twenty-Seven: Gateway to Heaven
• Twenty-Eight: Over Weight
• Twenty-Nine: Rise and Shine
• Thirty: Dirty Gertie: Dirty Gertie from Bizerte was a famous World War II song that has weathered the decades to be heard in bingo halls everywhere.
• Thirty-One: Get Up and Run
• Thirty-Two: Buckle My Shoe/ Jimmy Choo: this bingo call is a continuation of the kid’s rhyme in number 4 and a famous shoe designer.
• Thirty-Three: Dirty Knee
• Thirty-Four: Ask for More: Oliver Twist anyone?
• Thirty-Five: Jump and Jive
• Thirty-Six: Three Dozen
• Thirty-Seven: More than 11
• Thirty-Eight: Christmas Cake
• Thirty-Nine: 39 Steps: The 39 Steps is a 1935 Hitchcock film that is still played today.
• Forty: Naughty 40: another bingo call that celebrates a milestone birthday when things get naughty and life begins!
• Forty-One: Time for Fun, Life’s Begun.
• Forty-Two: Winnie the Pooh: a bingo call that gives respect to A. A. Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh, a staple of British childhoods.
• Forty-Three: Down on Your Knees
• Forty-Four: Droopy Drawers
• Forty-Five: Halfway There
• Forty-Six: Up to Tricks
• Forty-Seven: Four and Seven
• Forty-Eight: Four Dozen
• Forty-Nine: PC: this bingo call is in reference to the 1946-53 show based on the adventures of an unconventional copper who coined the phrase “rise and shine”.
• Fifty: Half a Century
• Fifty-One: Tweak of the Thumb or I Love My Mum
• Fifty-Two: Danny La Rue: a bingo call that pays homage to the Irish singer known for his love of cross-dressing, Danny La Rue.
• Fifty-Three: Stuck in the Tree
• Fifty-Four: Clean the Floor
• Fifty-Five: Snakes Alive: linked to the number shape (and mentioned in 25, duck and dive).
• Fifty-Six: Was She Worth It?
• Fifty-Seven: Heinz Varieties: Heinz baked beans sell 57 varieties of canned beans, despite having many more recipes
• Fifty-Eight: Make Them Wait
• Fifty-Nine: Brighton Line
• Sixty: Five Dozen
• Sixty-One: Bakers Bun
• Sixty-two: Turn the Screw: army slang for everything being well; this bingo call is also known as tickety-boo.
• Sixty-Three: Tickle Me 63
• Sixty-Four: Red Raw
• Sixty-Five: Old Age Pension: this bingo call represents the traditional British age for people to stop working.
• Sixty-Six: Clickety Click
• Sixty-Seven: Made in Heaven
• Sixty-Eight: Saving Grace
• Sixty-Nine: Either Way Up: the numbers represent the opposite if looking the other way up. This is also known as “Meal for Two”.
• Seventy: Three Score and 10
• Seventy-One: Bang on the Drum
• Seventy-Two: Six Dozen: it’s all a matter of math.
• Seventy-Three: Queen B
• Seventy-Four: Candy Store
• Seventy-Five: Strive and Strive
• Seventy-Six: Trombones
• Seventy-Seven: Sunset Strip: this bingo call comes from an American detective show made by Warner Brothers between 1958 and 1964.
• Seventy-Eight: Heaven’s Gate
• Seventy-Nine: One More Time
• Eighty: Eight and Blank: you may also come across it known as “Gandhi’s Breakfast”, with the number 8 representing a seated, cross-legged Gandhi.
• Eighty-One: Stop and Run
• Eighty-Two: Straight On Through: referenced to travelling, but also known as a “fat lady with a duck”.
• Eighty-Three: Time for Tea
• Eighty-Four: Seven Dozen
• Eighty-Five: Staying Alive: this bingo call is about the worldwide, 1977 Bee Gees hit, featured on the big screen in Saturday Night Fever.
• Eighty-Six: Between the Sticks: football terminology for goalkeepers
• Eighty-Seven: Torquay in Devon
• Eighty-Eight: Two Fat Ladies.
• Eighty-Nine: Nearly There
• Ninety: Top of the Shop or End of the Line
Learn Your Bingo Calls
Play Bingo Lingo: the bingo calls quiz!
If you think you know the bingo calls then try our bingo lingo quiz, or chill out with our bingo jokes!
Or jump right in and get started with a game of bingo you can use our best bingo site and bingo variants, from speed 30 ball bingo to the jovial beat of 90 ball bingo. Apart from knowing the A-Z of bingo calls, one of the best ways to win more real money when playing bingo is to ensure you know the rules and winning patterns of the bingo game you’re playing. Go loaded with knowledge on every aspect of bingo from Bingo.org.