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Bingo calls are not just quirky nicknames, but an integral part of how bingo is played. They help you avoid confusion by allowing you to recognize numbers quickly. This is especially useful when similar-sounding numbers are announced in a row. At the same time, they reflect decades of British culture and humor, which makes bingo more fun to play.
If you’re looking for a breakdown of the bingo list meaning, we can provide an overview of all 90 UK bingo calls. We not only cover the numbers’ nicknames, but also explain the logic behind each nickname. From ‘Kelly’s Eye for the number 1’ to ‘Top of the Shop for 90,’ each call has its origins, categories, and evolution. Keep reading to gain a deeper understanding.
- Bingo calls are terms assigned to bingo numbers, and the idea is to make announcements more fun.
- Most bingo calls can be subdivided into categories, such as rhymes, cultural references, and military slang.
- The bingo calls list is standardized, but some nicknames can vary by region or bingo hall.
- Although online bingo uses RNG systems, traditional calls are still used to replicate a social aspect of the game.
Complete List of Traditional Bingo Calls
Most bingo calls are funny, and bingo names were derived from popular culture and historical references. The players caught on and accepted the nicknames, as they added another fun layer to the game. Plus, the nicknames serve as distinct tells, as there is no way to mistake one number with another.
Throughout the years, the nicknames changed, and new bingo calls were added until a somewhat unified list of bingo calls was adopted across the UK bingo halls. Without further ado, here is a complete list of the bingo calls in use now.
| Number | Bingo Call | Meaning | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly’s Eye | A military slang term or a reference to an Australian folk hero, Ned Kelly | Military slang / Cultural |
| 2 | One Little Duck | 2 looks like a small duck, hence the nickname | Visual |
| 3 | Cup of Tea | Rhymes with tea, and Brits love their cup of tea | Rhyme / Cultural |
| 4 | Knock at the Door | Another rhyme | Rhyme |
| 5 | Man Alive | Rhymes with alive | Rhyme |
| 6 | Tom Mix / Half a Dozen | A reference to a US Western movie star, Tom Mix, that rhymes with six; a half of a dozen is six | Rhyme / Cultural |
| 7 | Lucky Seven | Considered a lucky number in many cultures, including bingo, obviously | Cultural |
| 8 | Garden Gate | Gate rhymes with eight, but there is a legend of a garden gate being a coded message | Rhyme |
| 9 | Doctor’s Orders | A reference to the Number 9 laxative pill given to soldiers during WWII | Military slang |
| 10 | Prime Minister’s Den | A reference of 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence (the nickname changes with every new prime minister) | Cultural |
| 11 | Legs 11 | Looks like a pair of slender legs, preferably a woman with heels | Visual |
| 12 | One Dozen | One dozen is 12 | Numerical |
| 13 | Unlucky for Some | Considered an unlucky number, but only for some, as the bingo saying suggests | Cultural |
| 14 | Valentine’s Day | A reference to February 14th, the day of love and romance | Cultural |
| 15 | Young and Keen | Rhymes with keen | Rhyme |
| 16 | Sweet 16 | A reference to the Sweet 16, when a person transforms into an adult | Cultural |
| 17 | Dancing Queen | ABBA’s Dancing Queen, “…young and sweet, only seventeen.” | Cultural |
| 18 | Coming of Age | The age where one legally becomes an adult | Cultural |
| 19 | Goodbye Teens | The last teenage year | Cultural |
| 20 | One Score / Getting Plenty | 20 units in a score/getting plenty rhymes with twenty | Numerical / Rhyme |
| 21 | Royal Salute | The royal salute of 21 guns | Cultural |
| 22 | Two Little Ducks | Looks like two little ducks next to each other | Visual |
| 23 | The Lord is My Shepherd | The first verse of Psalm 23 of the Old Testament | Cultural |
| 24 | Two Dozen | If 12 is one dozen, 24 is two dozen | Numerical |
| 25 | Duck and Dive | If 2 is a duck, 5 rhymes with dive | Rhyme |
| 26 | A to Z / Half a Crown | The alphabet has 26 letters; two shillings and sixpence (26) made a half a crown | Cultural |
| 27 | Gateway to Heaven | Calling a win on the number 27 | Cultural |
| 28 | Overweight / In a State | Someone feeling in a state, feeling poorly, being overweight | Rhyme |
| 29 | Rise and Shine | Rise and Shine rhymes with twenty-nine | Rhyme |
| 30 | Dirty Gertie | Humorous soldier’s song from the 1920s “Dirty Gertie from Bizerte.” | Military slang / Rhyme |
| 31 | Get Up and Run | The phrase rhymes with the number thirty-one | Rhyme |
| 32 | Buckle My Shoe | The phrase rhymes with the number thirty-two | Rhyme |
| 33 | All the Threes | 33 is all the threes in a 90-ball bingo | Numerical |
| 34 | Ask for More | The phrase rhymes with thirty-four | Rhyme |
| 35 | Jump and Jive | A rhyme with the number thirty-five | Rhyme |
| 36 | Three Dozen | If 12 is one dozen, 36 is three dozen | Numerical |
| 37 | More than 11 | A phrase that rhymes with thirty-seven | Rhyme |
| 38 | Christmas Cake | A phrase that rhymes with thirty-eight | Rhyme |
| 39 | 39 Steps | A reference to the famous Alfred Hitchcock movie “The 39 Steps.” | Cultural |
| 40 | Naughty 40 | A reference to the phrase “life begins at 40!” | Cultural |
| 41 | Time for Fun | A phrase that rhymes with forty-one | Rhyme |
| 42 | Winnie the Pooh | A reference to the beloved storybook about a honey-loving bear | Cultural |
| 43 | Down on Your Knees | A reference to a phrase used by the British soldiers | Military slang |
| 44 | Droopy Drawers | A reference to sagging trousers | Cultural |
| 45 | Halfway There | In a game of 90-ball bingo, 45 is the halfway there | Numerical |
| 46 | Up to Tricks | A phrase that rhymes with forty-six | Rhyme |
| 47 | Four and Seven | Simply, a reference to the number forty-seven | Numerical |
| 48 | Four Dozen | IF 12 is one dozen, 48 is four dozen | Numerical |
| 49 | PC | A reference to an old TV programme “The Adventures of P.C. 49.” | Cultural |
| 50 | Half a Century | A reference to 50 years, or half a century | Cultural |
| 51 | Tweak of the Thumb | A phrase that rhymes with the number fifty-one | Rhyme |
| 52 | Danny La Rue | A reference to the Irish cross-dressing singer Danny La Rue | Cultural |
| 53 | Stuck in the Tree / Here Comes Herbie | A phrase that rhymes with fifty-three; 53 is the number of the VW Beetle Herbie from the Walt Disney films | Rhyme / Cultural |
| 54 | Clean the Floor | A phrase that rhymes with fifty-four | Rhyme |
| 55 | Snakes Alive | A nod to the fives that look like coiled snakes | Visual |
| 56 | Was She Worth It? | A reference to the cost of a marriage license in the 1959s, which was five shillings and sixpence, the audience usually responds with “every penny!” | Cultural |
| 57 | Heinz Varieties | A reference to the 57 varieties of canned products by Heinz, the number 57 is on the label of the Heinz products | Cultural |
| 58 | Make Them Wait | The phrase rhymes with the number fifty-eight | Rhyme |
| 59 | Brighton Line | The time to travel from Brighton to London via train is 59 minutes | Cultural |
| 60 | Five Dozen / Grandma’s Getting Frisky | If 12 is one dozen, 60 is five dozen; the traditional age when women retired in the UK | Numerical / Cultural |
| 61 | Baker’s Bun | The phrase rhymes with sixty-one | Rhyme |
| 62 | Turn the Screw | The phrase rhymes with sixty-two | Rhyme |
| 63 | Tickle Me | The phrase rhymes with sixty-three | Rhyme |
| 64 | Red Raw | A phrase that poorly rhymes with sixty-four | Rhyme |
| 65 | Old Age Pension | The traditional age at which men retired in the UK | Cultural |
| 66 | Clickety Click | A phrase referencing the sound of a train steaming down the tracks, also rhymes with sixty-six | Rhyme |
| 67 | Stairway to Heaven | A phrase that rhymes with sixty-seven | Rhyme |
| 68 | Saving Grace | A phrase that rhymes with sixty-eight | Rhyme |
| 69 | Either Way Up | A reference to how 69 looks the same either way | Visual |
| 70 | Three Score and 10 | A math reference of the sum of three scores and ten (3×20+10=70) | Numerical |
| 71 | Bang on the Drum | A phrase rhyming with the number seventy-one | Rhyme |
| 72 | Six Dozen | If 12 is one dozen, 72 is six dozen | Numerical |
| 73 | Queen Bee | A reference to the Queen Bee, a phrase that rhymes with seventy-three | Rhyme |
| 74 | Candy Store / Hit the Floor | Both phrases rhyme with seventy-four | Rhyme |
| 75 | Strive and Strive | A reference striving for a full house | Rhyme |
| 76 | Trombones | A reference to the ‘76 Trombones’ song from the musical The Music Man | Cultural |
| 77 | Sunset Strip | A reference to the TV show “77, Sunset Strip.” | Cultural |
| 78 | Heaven’s Gate | A phrase that rhymes with seventy-eight | Rhyme |
| 79 | One More Time | A phrase that rhymes with seventy-nine | Rhyme |
| 80 | Eight and Blank / Gandhi’s Breakfast | Eight and zero; a play on words referencing Gandhi’s breakfast – he ‘eight nothing.’ | Cultural |
| 81 | Stop and Run | A phrase that rhymes with eighty-one | Rhyme |
| 82 | Straight On Through | A phrase that rhymes with eighty-two | Rhyme |
| 83 | Time for Tea | A nod to the British’s love for tea, plus the phrase rhymes with eighty-three | Cultural/ Rhyme |
| 84 | Seven Dozen | If 21 is one dozen, 84 is seven dozen | Numerical |
| 85 | Staying Alive | A phrase that rhymes with eighty-five | Rhyme |
| 86 | Between the Sticks | A reference to the number 86, the goalkeeper spends the game between the sticks, plus the phrase rhymes with the number eighty-six | Cultural |
| 87 | Torquay in Devon / Grandma’s Gone to Heaven | A reference to a town in Devon, the phrase rhymes with the number eighty-seven, a reference to grandma passing away | Cultural |
| 88 | Two Fat Ladies | The two-eighths look like fat ladies next to each other | Visual |
| 89 | Nearly There | The second-to-last bingo number, nearly to the end | Numerical |
| 90 | Top of the Shop / End of the Line | A reference to the highest or last number in bingo | Cultural |
History of The Game
The history of bingo dates back to the 16th century in Italy. However, it didn’t take long for the game to spread across Europe and eventually arrive in the United States as a carnival game called ‘Beano.’
Around 1929, salesman Edwin S. Lowe came across the game at a carnival and recognized its potential. He later created his own version, renaming it ‘Bingo’ after reportedly hearing a player accidentally shouting ‘Bingo’ instead of ‘Beano.’ Today, the game is played in both land-based and online formats. It’s very easy to learn how to play online bingo since the core mechanics remain the same.
How Many Numbers Are in Bingo
There are several versions of bingo played in the world. The British version of bingo that has become popular and widespread across the UK is the 90-ball bingo. The bingo ticket has 27 spaces in three rows of nine columns. The rows have five numbers and four blank spaces, and the columns have up to three numbers.
The numbers are arranged in the nine columns in the following order:
- First column – numbers from 1 to 9
- Second column – numbers from 10 to 19
- Third column – numbers from 20 to 29
- Fourth column – numbers from 30 to 39
- Fifth column – numbers from 40 to 49
- Sixth column – numbers from 50 to 59
- Seventh column – numbers from 60 to 69
- Eighth column – numbers from 70 to 79
- Ninth column – numbers from 80 to 90
The complete set is a strip of six tickets, each with 15 numbers, from 1 to 90. When a player buys an entire strip of six tickets, the player can circle a number any time the number is called.
Modern Bingo Game Rules
In a bingo hall or live online bingo game, the British bingo game is usually presided over by a bingo caller who calls the numbers and validates the winning tickets. Before implementing modern technology, the bingo numbers were printed on balls drawn from a bag (or a mechanical machine). Thus, some terminology remained, and even though a random number generator (RNG) now generates numbers, the term bingo balls still lives on.
Credit: CyberBingo
Before the game starts, the bingo caller announces the start with a yell of “Eyes Down,” meaning the players should focus on their tickets. The bingo callers stick to the bingo lingo as they announce the numbers and make jokes about the traditional and modern bingo names.
✅ Winning a Bingo Game
There are several winning combinations in UK bingo:
- Four Corners – crossing the left and right corners of the ticket on the top and bottom lines
- Line – covering a horizontal line of five numbers on a ticket
- Two Lines – covering two lines on a ticket
- Full House – covering all fifteen numbers on a ticket
Credit: BingoBilly
Most Common Bingo Numbers
Bingo is a game of chance, and anyone can play it. There is no particular skill required for one to play bingo; instead, the game is intended to relax and entertain. However, the excitement of every new ball draw is enjoyable, and it is why it is one of the fastest-growing online games in the UK.
There are no most common bingo numbers, as the selection is random. While many will swear to have a bingo strategy, the best chance to win would be to get a strip of six tickets, having all the numbers to check off. As it is a game of chance, the numbers are drawn by a Random Number Generator, and there is no possible way to ensure that some numbers are drawn more often than others.
Conclusion
Here you have it, people, the bingo calls and sayings that one can hear shouted in bingo halls across the UK. These were put in place to entertain the players and put a positive vibe. As the bingo halls are slowly giving way to online bingo sites, the more traditional bingo calls are being left out, and in their place, new, more contemporary bingo calls and nicknames are emerging.
The purpose of bingo is to promote a sense of community and put smiles on people’s faces. No matter if you’re playing online or in a traditional bingo hall, the goals are the same: having fun, joking, and laughing while creating new friendships and enjoying a popular pastime.
FAQs
What are bingo calls?
Bingo calls are the announcements that the bingo host makes when a number is drawn. These were primarily used to avoid confusion with similarly sounding numbers, so bingo announcers started adding nicknames to help bingo players. These serve as distinct tells to avoid mistaking one number for another.
Where do bingo calls come from?
When the bingo game started spreading from Italy across Europe, it eventually reached the UK and the USA, where it was patented as bingo. However, bingo rose in popularity in the UK, and it was there that the bingo hosts started adding nicknames to the numbers.
Why are there funny bingo calls?
There are funny bingo calls that derive from modern cultural references and historical references. The fun aspects came naturally to bingo callers in the UK, primarily because bingo was, first and foremost, for entertainment.
How to use bingo calls in online bingo?
While bingo calls sound better when yelled in a bingo hall, today, online bingo hosts also use them to announce the numbers and make the entire experience more entertaining and immersive. Also, you can add comments on bingo calls in the live chat window when you play online bingo at your favorite online bingo platform.
How do you learn bingo calls?
Once you start playing online bingo, you will very quickly learn the most used bingo calls, but you can also refer to the list of the different bingo calls I’ve shared with you above.
