From two little ducks to two fat ladies, everyone across the UK knows at least a few bingo number calls. But while some bingo nicknames are self-explanatory, have you ever wondered what Kelly’s Eye means? And who exactly is Dirty Gertie?
Learn where bingo took off, see our complete 90-ball bingo number list to boost your bingo lingo, and discover the often bizarre backgrounds behind bingo number sayings.
Want to learn more about bingo betting terms? See our William Hill bingo glossary.
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History of Bingo
Bingo has its origins in Lo Gioco del Lotto D’Italia, the original Italian lottery first played in 1530. The game evolved throughout Europe into the 1800s, then travelled over to the USA with early migrants, and became popular in the early 1900s.
In 1929, toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe saw ‘Beano’, as it was then called, being played at a carnival in Georgia. Back home in New York, it caught on with his friends. During one particularly exciting game, someone yelled “Bingo” instead of “Beano”, and the name stuck.
Bingo calls date back to the re-importation of the game to the UK in the 1950s. Housey-housey, a version of Bingo played by servicemen during World War II, was very popular, and many bingo call nicknames have origins in military terms, rhymes and jokes.
Today, bingo remains one of the most popular gambling games in the world.
Meaning of Bingo Lingo Numbers
Bingo calls are used to clarify all 90 numbers, making it easier to recognise the numbers if you’re far away from the caller – especially in a crowded bingo hall.
Whether you’re at a bingo hall with friends or keeping up with the chat when you play bingo online at William Hill, it’s always fun to brush up on your bingo lingo.
Discover the meanings behind them below – how many can you remember?
1 – Kelly’s eye
Could this be a reference to Ned Kelly? See our ‘History of Bingo Calls’ section below.
2 – One little duck
A visual reference – the number 2 looks like a duck, right?
3 – Cup of tea
A nice British rhyme.
4 – Knock at the door
From an old nursery rhyme.
5 – Man alive
An exclamatory rhyme.
6 – Tom Mix/Half a dozen
A rhyme referring to Hollywood’s ‘first Western Star’/half of 12 is six.
7 – Lucky seven
A famously lucky number.
8 – Garden gate/One fat lady
This rhyme reportedly has a deeper meaning: a secret meeting or drop-off point/the number 8 also looks like a curvaceous woman.
9 – Doctor’s orders
A military reference. See our ‘History of Bingo Calls’ section below.
10 – [Prime Minister’s name]’s den
Insert current head of UK Prime Minister. See our ‘Funny Bingo Calls’ section below.
11 – Legs eleven
Refers to the shape the number makes.
12 – One dozen
A dozen, of course, means 12.
13 – Unlucky for some
A famously unlucky number.
14 – Valentine’s Day
Refers to the 14th of February.
15 – Young and keen
A simple rhyming call.
16 – Sweet sixteen
Refers to the ‘coming of age’ celebration.
17 – Dancing queen
ABBA fans, sing your heart out. See our ‘funny bingo calls’ section below.
18 – Coming of age
A big milestone in the UK. You’re officially an adult!
19 – Goodbye teens
Another age-related bingo call.
20 – One score
An old counting term: there are 20 units in a ‘score’.
21 – Royal salute/Key of the door
There are 21 guns fired in a traditional military salute/21 is the traditional age for getting the keys to your own place.
22 – Two little ducks
Just look at the shape of those numbers – cute!
23 – The lord is my shepherd/Thee and me
A biblical reference – see Psalm 23 in the Old Testament/an Old-English rhyme.
24 – Two dozen
2 x 12 = 24.
25 – Duck and dive
Another rhyme. Need help remembering this one? Think of the number 2 as a duck, and the 5 as an upside-down duck ‘diving’ in the water.
26 – Half a crown
Refers to pre-decimalised currency in the UK. Two shillings and sixpence is half a crown.
27 – Gateway to heaven
A divine rhyme.
28 – In a state
co*ckney rhyming slang – “I got into a right two and eight!”
29 – Rise and shine
A cheery rhyme.
30 – Dirty Gertie
A military song. See ‘Funny Bingo Calls’ below.
31 – Get up and run
A motivational rhyme.
32 – Buckle my shoe
A catchy rhyme.
33 – Dirty knee/All the threes/Fish, chips and peas
A simple rhyme/33 represents all the threes available in a 90-ball game/a traditional English takeaway.
34 – Ask for more
The perfect rhyme if you’re still hungry after 33.
35 – Jump and jive
A groovy rhyme.
36 – Three dozen
3 x 12 = 36.
37 – More than eleven
A factually correct yet slightly odd rhyme.
38 – Christmas cake
More co*ckney rhyming slang.
39 – Steps
Refers to a classic film. See ‘Other Interesting Bingo Calls’ below.
40 – Life begins/Naughty forty
A popular proverb: ‘life begins at 40’/an old rhyme.
41 – Time for fun
A fun rhyme.
42 – Winnie the Pooh
A rhyme about a popular bear.
43 – Down on your knees
A military rhyme – refers to the phrase made popular by soldiers during the war.
44 – Droopy drawers
A rhyme (about sagging underwear, would you believe it?)
45 – Halfway there
There are 90 balls in traditional British bingo.
46 – Up to tricks
A mischievous rhyme.
47 – Four and seven
Another self-explanatory one.
48 – Four dozen
4 x 12 = 48
49 – PC
“Evening all”; refers to an old radio series and film: ‘The Adventures of P.C. 49’.
50 – Half a century
Another self-explanatory one.
51 – Tweak of the thumb
A traditional bingo rhyme.
52 – Danny La Rue/Weeks in a year
A rhyme referring to the popular drag performer Danny La Rue/a self-explanatory one.
53 – Stuck in the tree/Here comes Herbie
A simple rhyme/53 is the number of the famous Disney car (“beep beep!”)
54 – Clean the floor
A rhyme about housekeeping.
55 – Snakes alive
A rhyme that also represents the shape of the numbers.
56 – Shotts Bus/Was she worth it?
See our ‘Other Interesting Bingo Calls’ section below/a marriage licence used to cost five shillings and sixpence (players shout back “every penny!”)
57 – Heinz varieties
‘57 varieties’ is the slogan of the food company Heinz.
58 – Make them wait
A simple rhyme.
59 – Brighton Line
A rhyme referencing a coastal line. See ‘Other Interesting Bingo Calls’ below.
60 – Five dozen/Grandma’s getting frisky
5 x 12 = 60/a sort-of-rhyme referencing the traditional age women could retire.
61 – Baker’s bun
A simple rhyme.
62 – Turn the screw/Tickety-boo
Rhyming phrases referring to putting the pressure on someone/to be doing well.
63 – Tickle me
A cheeky rhyme.
64 – Red raw/Almost retired
A sore rhyme/being a year away from the traditional age of retirement (see below).
65 – Old age pension
The traditional age of retirement for men in the UK.
66 – Clickety click
A rail-based rhyme.
67 – Stairway to heaven
Another holy rhyming call.
68 – Pick a mate/Saving grace
A friendly rhyme/a sort-of-rhyme?
69 – Any way up
Refers to the number reading the same upside down. Other bingo calls for this number may be less wholesome.
70 – Three score and ten
More old counting terms. 3 x 20 + 10 = 70.
71 – Bang on the drum
A rhythmic rhyme.
72 – Six dozen
6 x 12 = 72.
73 – Queen bee
A bee-autiful rhyme.
74 – Hit the floor/Candy store
Choose your favourite rhyming call.
75 – Strive and strive
A hardworking rhyme.
76 – Trombones
A musical reference. See our ‘History of Bingo Calls’ below.
77 – Sunset strip
One for fans of old detective dramas. Check out our ‘History of Bingo Calls’ below.
78 – 39 more steps
Wait, another reference to 39 Steps? (39 + 39 = 78).
79 – One more time
An easy rhyme.
80 – Ghandi’s breakfast/Eight and blank
Because Ghandi supposedly “ate nothing” (Eight and nothing)/the latter call is more self-explanatory.
81 – Stop and run/Fat lady with a walking stick
A contradictory rhyme/another visual reference (see 88).
82 – Straight on through/Fat lady with a duck
A classic rhyme/yet another visual reference (see 88).
83 – Time for tea
Another traditional British rhyme.
84 – Seven dozen
7 x 12 = 84.
85 – Staying alive
A catchy Bee Gees rhyme. See ‘Funny Bingo Calls’ below.
86 – Between the sticks
A goalkeeping rhyme.
87 – Torquay in Devon
A nice geography rhyme.
88 – Two fat ladies
A classic visual reference. See our ‘Other Interesting Bingo Calls’ section below.
89 – Nearly there
There’s only one number left in 90-ball bingo.
90 – Top of the shop/End of the line
The highest or last number in bingo.
Funny Bingo Calls
Many bingo calls come from phrases which rhyme with the number in question. Let’s take a look at some of the most obscure rhyming bingo calls:
Number 10 – [Prime Minister’s] Den – changes depending on who holds office at the time. It refers to 10 Downing Street, the London address of the UK Prime Minister.
Dirty Gertie is used for number 30, and refers to a song, Dirty Gertie from Bizerte, sung by allied troops during World War II. Some callers might use Burlington Bertie, recalling another song from the Music Hall era: Burlington Bertie from Bow.
While number 85 – Staying Alive is a rhyme simply referencing the famous Bee Gees song, number 17 – Dancing Queen goes one step further and alludes to the lyrics of the ABBA song.
Meanwhile, northerners may be less familiar with the rhyme for number 59 – Brighton Line, which is the rail line running to the seaside town from Victoria Station in London, as mentioned in Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest.
Other Interesting Bingo Calls
While many bingo calls are based on rhyming slang, others bring to mind popular associations of particular numbers – and some lesser-known references too:
For instance, 39 Steps is a reference to the 1915 novel ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’ by John Buchan, that has been the basis for several feature films. And number 78 – 39 more steps – is simply another play on this obscure literary reference.
Think ‘Brighton Line’ is a bit obscure? How about number 56 – Shotts Bus, which is likely far less well-known to those outside Scotland. 56, of course, being the one-time number of the bus route from Glasgow to the town of Shotts in North Lanarkshire.
Then we have our many visual number references, most famously ‘legs eleven’, ‘two little ducks’, and of course the number 88 which resembles ‘two fat ladies’. Not to mention the ‘fat lady with a walking stick/duck’ counterparts for numbers 81 and 82.
History of Bingo Calls
As ‘housey-housey’ found a home amongst British army troops, a number of bingo nicknames found their origins in mid-20th century military slang.
Number 9 – Doctor’s Orders supposedly comes from the slang term for a laxative pill given to troops by army doctors in World War II. Gross.
Number 1 – Kelly’s Eye, has cloudier origins. Some think it’s a military term referencing the ‘one-eyed’ letterbox helmet famously worn by Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. Whereas other sources point to a comic strip in boy’s adventure comic Valiant, published between 1962 and 1976, where the character Kelly possessed a magic amulet in the shape of an eye.
Due to its surging popularity in the UK at this time, many bingo references come from the 1950s and 1960s. 76 Trombones refers to a song from the 1957 musical The Music Man, and 77 Sunset Strip name-checks the television detective series of that era.
Bingo Call in Online Bingo
Our complete list of bingo calls only accounts for some of the most popular bingo sayings. As bingo continues to be played in pubs, clubs and online to this day, it’s common to encounter many regional variations in bingo nicknames which filter into the game.
And as more players chat to each other about bingo in our busy online chat rooms, even more original and funny bingo nickname variations are being spread and popularised.
Keep up to speed with the most popular online bingo phrases – check out our William Hill glossary of online bingo terms and bingo chat acronyms.
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