In Bingo, each number has been given one or more affectionate nicknames. Bingo callers often uses these nicknames when they call out the numbers, so it’s good to know what they are. If a Bingo caller calls out “One hockey stick” or “Legs – they’re lovely”, will you think the caller has gone plain bonkers, or will you know that the number 7 is often called a “hockey stick” and that the number 11 is often called “legs”!
A lot of Bingo calls for numbers are based on the shape of the numbers – like “little duck” for the number 2. Other nicknames rhyme with the numbers, like “One little flea” for number 3.
Some Bingo calls have especially interesting origins. For instance, did you know that the number 9 is sometimes called “Doctor’s orders” because a pill known as “number nine” was often prescribed during World War II?
Bingo Numbers and Their Rhymes In the retail world of bingo, these rhymes are no longer used as they slow the game up too much. They are, however, still used in a number of places such as charity events and social clubs. There are a number of variants here in these rhymes, and some which you won't use. Bingo (game) – Nursery Rhymes Bailey Bingo Little Bo Peep Live Action Longform Mary Quite Contrary Nursery Rhymes Robin August Bingo (dance) – Nursery Rhymes.
Bingo calls – Number 2. One Little Duck, Baby’s Done It, Doctor Who, Me and You, Little Boy Blue, Home Alone, Peek A Boo. The bingo ball number 2 is most well known as One Little Duck only because it looks a bit like a duck or a swan. Doctor Who rhymes with number 2 as does Little Boy Blue and Peek a Boo. Rhyme Bingo fun for the whole class or small groups! Rhyme Bingo consists of 20 game boards, each with 9 images/words plus 24 Rhyme Call Out Cards. There are two bingo boards per page.Rhyme Bingo is a great way for your students to consolidate the phonological awareness skill of rhyming. 'BINGO' dog song & rhyme!' BINGO' LyricsThere was a farmer had a dogand Bingo was his name-o.B-I-N-G-OB-I-N-G-OB-I-N-G-OAnd Bingo was his name-o.'
Getting to know the terms used in Bingo calling is part of the fun of playing and enjoying Bingo. For more fun terms used in Bingo calling, check our online Bingo Cockney rhyming slang terms.
List of Bingo Calls and Nicknames (1 – 90)
1. Kelly’s eye (after one-eyed Australian gangster Ned Kelly), Little Jimmy, First on the board
2. Little duck, Me and you, Home alone, Peek a boo
3. One little flea, Cup of tea, Monkey on the tree
4. The one next door, On the floor, Shut the door
5. One little snake, Man alive
6. Chopsticks, Tom’s tricks, In a fix
7. Hockey stick, Crutch, Lucky seven, God’s in heaven, David Beckham
8. One fat lady, At the gate
9. Doctor’s orders
10. Downing street, Big fat hen, Cock and hen, Uncle Ben
11. Legs, Chicken legs, Skinny legs
12. One dozen, One doz’ if one can
13. Unlucky for some, Bakers’ dozen
14. Valentines day
15. Rugby team
16. Sweet sixteen, Never been kissed
17. Dancing queen (from the Abba song of the same name), Posh and Becks
18. Key of the door, Coming of age
19. Goodbye teens
20. Blind 20, One score
21. Royal salute, Key of the door
22. Two little ducks
23. A duck and a flea, The Lord’s my shepherd (from Psalm 23)
24. Two dozen
25. Duck and dive
26. Bed and breakfast (traditional price was 2 shillings 6 pence), Half a crown (equivalent to 2 shillings 6 pence)
27. Gateway to heaven, Little duck with a crutch
28. Duck and its mate
29. Rise and shine
30. Dirty Gertie, Speed limit
31. Get up and run
32. Buckle my Shoe
33. Two little fleas, Sherwood forest (all the trees)
34. Ask for more
35. Jump and jive, Flirty wives
36. Three dozen
37. A flea in heaven
38. Christmas cake
39. All the steps (from the 1935 Hitchcock film), Jack Benny
40. Two score, Life begins at, Naughty 40
41. Life’s begun, Time for fun
42. Whinny the Poo
43. Down on your knees
44. All the fours
45. Halfway house, Halfway there
46. Up to tricks
47. Four and seven
48. Four dozen
49. PC (for police constable), Copper
50. Bulls eye, Half a century, Hawaii five O
51. I love my mum
52. Weeks in a year, Pack ‘o cards
53. Stuck in the tree, The joker
54. Clean the floor
55. Snakes alive, All the fives
56. Was she worth it? (From the original price of a wedding contract)
57. Heinz varieties, All the beans
58. Make them wait, Choo choo Thomas
59. Brighton line (the London-Brighton engine was number 59)
60. Three score, Five dozen
61. Bakers bun
62. Tickety boo, Turn on the screw
63. Tickle me
64. The Beatles number, Red raw
65. Old age pension
66. Clickety click, All the sixes
67. Made in heaven
68. Saving grace
69. Either way up, The French connection
70. Three score and ten
71. Bang on the drum, Lucky one
72. A crutch and a duck, Par for the course (from golf)
73. Crutch with a flea, Lucky three
74. Candy store, Grandmamma of Bingo, Lucky four
75. Granddaddy of Bingo, Lucky five
76. Trombones, Lucky six
77. All the sevens, Two little crutches, The double hockey stick, Lucky seven
78. Heavens gate, Lucky eight
79. Lucky nine
80. Gandhi’s breakfast, Eight and blank
81. Fat lady and a little wee, Stop and run
82. Fat lady with a duck, Straight on through
83. Fat lady with a flea, Time for tea, Ethel’s Ear
84. Seven dozen
85. Staying alive
86. Between the sticks
87. Fat lady with a crutch
88. Two fat ladies, Wobbly wobbly, All the eights
89. Nearly there, All but one
90. Top of the shop, Top of the house, End of the line
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'). |
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
Bingo Plus More Nursery Rhymes
- ^ 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]
Bingo Rhymes For Children
