If you’ve ever played bingo in the UK, you might have heard the caller calling the winning numbers with some unusual nicknames. You’ve probably heard references to fat ladies and cups of tea, and wonder where these phrases come from and what they mean. One of the most memorable aspects of bingo in the UK are the bingo calls, that is, these “strange” phrases. Some of these phrases are simply rhymes, some are funny stories, while some have a history behind them.
What is Bingo Calls / Bingo Lingo?
Bingo calls are also known as Bingo Lingo and they are a combination of rhyming slang phrases that relate to particular numbers. Bingo Lingo is also present in the world of online bingo, where you might run across a player addressing you with terms like “Rise and Shine” or “Winnie the Pooh”. Don’t worry, players are only being friendly and are using these slang terms for making the bingo game funnier.
In fact, Bingo Lingo is the language of bingo. When bingo appeared in the UK, it was played only in bingo halls. Originally, the process of calling out the numbers was boring, so the bingo lingo was designed to engage the players in the game and make a more enjoyable and energetic atmosphere.
History of Bingo Lingo
Bingo Lingo originates from the mid-20th century in East London, where people used rhymes as hidden messages for communication. These rhymes quickly moved into the bingo halls and people, inspired from the hidden messages, came up with bingo nicknames for each number on the bingo card. Bingo Lingo quickly became popular among the players and spread outside London. People started to came up with more and more phrases to make bingo games more entertaining.
Almost all bingo calls that were formed back then are still used. These phrases were necessary to be formed because it was hard to hear the bingo callers. In that time, bingo halls were full of noises and people often found it hard to hear what the callers were saying. For that reason, bingo calls helped them to understand what number is called.
Full list of Bingo Calls
Here’s the complete list of all bingo calls for each bingo number. Do you know some of these?
- Kelly's Eye
- One Little Duck
- Cup of Tea
- Knock at the Door
- Man Alive
- Tom Mix
- Lucky 7
- Garden Gate
- Doctors Orders
- Theresa's Den
- Legs Eleven
- One Dozen
- Unlucky for Some
- Valentine's Day
- Young and Keen
- Sweet Sixteen
- Dancing Queen
- Coming of Age
- Goodbye-Teens
- One Score
- Key of the Door
- Two Little Ducks
- Thee and Me
- Two Dozen
- Duck and Dive
- Pick and Mix
- Gateway to Heaven
- Over Weight
- Rise and Shine
- Dirty Gertie
- Get up and Run
- Buckle my Shoe
- Dirty Knee
- Ask for More
- Jump and Jive
- Three Dozen
- More than Eleven
- Christmas Cake
- Steps
- Naughty Forty
- Time for Fun
- Winnie the Pooh
- Down on your Knees
- Droopy Drawers
- Halfway There
- Up to Tricks
- Four and Seven
- Four Dozen
- PC
- Half a Century
- Tweak of the Thumb
- Danny La Rue
- Stuck in the Tree
- Clean the Floor
- Snakes Alive
- Was she worth it
- Heinz Varieties
- Make them Wait
- Brighton Line
- Five Dozen
- Bakers Bun
- Turn on the Screw
- Tickle Me 63
- Red Raw
- Old Age Pension
- Clickety Click
- Made in Heaven
- Saving Grace
- Either Way Up
- Three Score & Ten
- Bang on the Drum
- Six Dozen
- Queen B
- Candy Store
- Strive & Strive
- Trombones
- Sunset Strip
- Heaven's Gate
- One More Time
- Eight & Blank
- Stop & Run
- Straight On Through
- Time for Tea
- Seven Dozen
- Staying Alive
- Between the Sticks
- Torquay in Devon
- Two Fat Ladies
- Nearly There
- Top of the Shop
Other popular bingo lingo slang
Apart from the bingo calls for each number, people are often using some other phrases, especially in the world of online bingo. If you want to play bingo online, check these slangs so the next time you’re playing, you are ready to have fun with the other players.
- AFC - "Away from the computer."
- Blackout - A game where you must cover all squares on your card to win.
- BLN - "Better luck next game"
- Chat Master | CM - The person in charge of moderating the chatrooms on an online bingo site.
- COI - "Come on in"
- Free Space - The redundant square in the middle of a 75-ball bingo card.
- Full House - A full house occurs when all the numbers on one card are marked off.
- GG - "Got to go"
- GGA – "Good game all"
- GL - "Good luck"
- SYS - "See you soon"
Most Popular Bingo Lingo Sayings
Here’s a guide to the most well-known and loved phrases.
Lucky Seven - 7
Traditionally, seven is considered a lucky number, so that’s why the bingo number 7 is called lucky seven.
Doctor's orders - 9
This phrase refers to the number nine pill, a potent laxative that doctors gave to British soldiers during World War II.
Cameron's Den - 10
This phrase changes each time a new prime minister is elected. The word “Den” is accompanied by the current prime minister. For example, “David’s den,” for David Cameron, “Tony’s den” for Tony Blair and “Maggie’s den” for Margaret Thatcher.
Legs Eleven - 11
This phrase is called “Legs Eleven” because the number 11 looks like a pair of long legs.
Dancing Queen - 17
You probably know this one, it’s based on the hit by Abba called “Dancing Queen”, where Abba sings: “You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only 17.”
Heinz Varieties - 57
Even though the Heinz company sells numerous products, its founder Henry Heinz decided that 57 was his lucky number because they have 57 types of canned beans, and this bingo number is dedicated to him.
Two fat ladies - 88
This phrase is inspired by the number eight that has rounded shape, and in this case, the number 88 refers to two overweight women. Of course, this is not meant as an insult.
These phrases are a perfect example of how rich history the bingo has. It may look like a simple game, but these facts here tell otherwise.
Bingo is a fun game to play, and these phrases make it even funnier. So, if you are looking for a new activity to spend your free time, why not consider bingo?
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