List of British bingo nicknames

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. One purpose of the nicknames is to allow called numbers to be clearly understood in a noisy environment. 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

Number	Nickname	Explanation
1	Kelly's eye [3] [4] [5]	The pun is military slang; [3] possibly a reference to Ned Kelly, from Ned Kelly's helmet, the eye slot resembling the number 1.
	Little Jimmy [3] [6]	One of the oldest bingo calls, first recorded in an article about troops bound for the Boer War in 1900. [7] Military slang from the Navy term for the First Lieutenant known as "Jimmy the One" [8]
	Kelly's wonk [3]	Rare. Anecdotal ex a one-eyed Kelly. [9]
	Buttered scone [3] [5] [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang
2	One little duck	From the resemblance of the number 2 to a duck; see also "22". Response is a single "quack."
	me an' you [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang for "me and you" [5] which is also a lingo call.
	Dr Who [10]	From the Children's TV Programme
3	Cup of tea	Rhymes with "three".
	you an' me [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang for "you and me" [5]
	up a tree [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang
4	Knock at the door [10] [5]	Cockney Rhyming Slang
	door to door [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang
5	Man alive [4]	Rhymes with "five".
	Jack alive [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang
	dead alive [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang
6	Half a dozen [11]	A common phrase meaning six units (see "12" below).
	Tom Mix [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang. Mix was one of Hollywood's first Western stars and helped define the genre as it emerged in the early days of the cinema.
	choppin' sticks [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang
	chopsticks [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang
7	Lucky [4]	7 is considered a lucky number in some cultures; see also "73".
	Gawd's in 'eaven [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang for "Gods in Heaven" [5]
8	Garden gate [5] [11]	Rhymes with "eight".
	One fat lady	From the resemblance of the number 8 to an overweight woman; see also "88".
	'Arry Tate [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang for "Harry Tate" [5] the music hall and variety show comedian
9	Doctor's orders [5]	Number 9 was a laxative pill given out by army doctors in WWI. Players may respond with, “Cough, cough!” [12]
10	Keir's den	Refers to Keir Starmer, the current incumbent of Number 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The call changes with each new Prime Minister. First noted use was "Macmillan's Den" in the early 1960s [13]
	cock(s) an' 'en [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang for "cock and hen" [5] or cocks and hen
	Dahnin' Street [10]	Cockney Rhyming Slang for "Downing Street" which is also a lingo term [13] [14] [5]
11	Legs eleven [5]	First referenced in WWI, it was Aussie Slang for a tall, thin man, [15] [16] and the nickname of the 11th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. [17] Also, during WWI, it was British slang for a tall officer with very thin legs. [18] [19] Often inappropriately deemed sexist and likened to chicken legs in its defence. [20] Players would wolf whistle in response, [21] which could be deemed sexist and, in recent years, has seen players banned from bingo halls. [22] [23]
12	One dozen	A reference to there being 12 units in one dozen.
13	Unlucky for some [5]	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	The song "Dancing Queen" by ABBA famously features the number in its lyrics.
18	Coming of age	Eighteen is the age of majority in the England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
19	Goodbye, teens	Nineteen is the age after which a person stops being a teenager.
20	Score	20 units in a score
	Getting plenty	cheeky phrase- rhymes with twenty
21	Key of the door	The traditional age of majority.
	Royal salute	Named after the traditional 21-gun salute.
22	Ducks on the pond	The numeral 22 resembles the profile of two ducks. [20] Response is often "quack, quack".
	Two little ducks
23	The Lord is My Shepherd	The first words of Psalm 23 of the Old Testament.
	Thee and me [4]	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 a reflected "2".
26	Half a crown [5]	Pre-decimalised currency in the UK. (See half crown.) A half crown is equivalent to 2 shillings and sixpence, written 2/6 and pronounced "two and six".
	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. [24]
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	All the Steps [5]	From The Thirty-Nine Steps, a 1915 adventure novel by John Buchan, and also several film adaptations.
40	Life begins	From the title of the 1932 self-help book by W.B. Pitkin ‘Life Begins at Forty’
	Naughty 40	A common colloquialism for those at the start of their middle ages.
41	Time for fun	Rhymes with "forty-one".
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 [25]	Rhyme that refers to sagging underwear.[ citation needed ]
	All the fours, Diana Dors	Diana Dors Rhymes with "All the fours".
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, those 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". The 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 [26]	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.
	Weeks in a year	Number of weeks in a Gregorian year.
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 [11]	55 is two fives.
	Snakes alive	Rhymes with "fifty-five".
56	Shotts bus [11]	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 [11]	Refers to "Heinz 57", the "57 Varieties" slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company.
58	Make them wait	Rhymes with "fifty-eight". Here, the caller often pauses, making the players wait.
59	Brighton line [25]	Not a quote from The Importance of Being Earnest, the play does reference The Brighton Line several times, but not 59 in association with it. The origin is more likely because five and nine rhymes with Brighton Line.
60	Grandma's getting frisky	Rhymes with "sixty".
	Five dozen	5 × 12 = 60. Refer to 12 above.
61	Baker's 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 [5] [25]	Rhymes with "sixty-six".
67	Stairway to Heaven	Rhymes with "sixty-seven".
	Made in Heaven [4]	Rhymes with "sixty-seven".
68	Pick a mate	Rhymes with "sixty-eight".
	Saving grace	Rhymes with "sixty-eight".
69	Anyway up	A reference to the number reading the same when viewed upside down.
	Either way up
	Meal for two	A reference to the 69 sex position.
	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. (20 × 3 + 10 = 70.) Three score and ten years is the span of life according to the Bible. [27]
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 [28]	7 is considered a lucky number in some cultures.
74	Hit the floor	Rhymes with "seventy-four".
	Candy store	Rhymes with "seventy-four".
75	Strive and strive [23]	Rhymes with "seventy-five".
76	Trombones [29]	"Seventy-Six Trombones" is a popular marching song, from the musical The Music Man .
77	Two little crutches [29]	The number 77 resembles 2 little "Crutches".
	Sunset Strip	From the 1960s television series "77 Sunset Strip". Usually sung by the players. Players stamp their feet upon hearing 77 Sunset Strip. [13]
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 [23]
84	Give me more	Rhymes and scans.
85	Staying alive [30]	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 [5] [31]	The number 88 visually resembles a lady next to another lady. Refer to 8 and 81 above. Players can reply with "wobble, wobble!" If 88 occurs in the last round, then "Two fat gentlemen" called in its place.
89	Nearly there	89 is one away from 90 (the end of the bingo numbers).
	Almost there
90	Top of the shop [11]	90 is the highest (top) number in bingo. Shop refers to the entire game of bingo (and also rhymes with "top").

References

Citations

1. "J-Lo gets bingo call-up". BBC News Online . 5 May 2003. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
2. "R.I.P. 1950s Bingo Calls". BBC News Online . 7 May 2003. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
3. Partridge 2006, p. 1397.
4. Arielr (9 September 2020). "Bingo Calls". Wink Bingo. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
5. Green 1986, p. 147.
6. Allison, Paul (3 July 2025). "What is the origin of Bingo Lingo "Little Jimmy"?". Bingo Rental. Great Britain. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
7. "An Anglo Indian in South Africa – Tommy on the Troopship". Bingo Rental . 28 June 1900. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
8. Jolly 2018.
9. Partridge 2006, p. 639.
10. Wright 1981, p. 109.
11. Bingo – Trendier than Clubbing!, Inside Out (BBC), 23 September 2002. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
12. "Bob's Full House". Uk Game Shows. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
13. Enefer 1961, p. 37.
14. Ponder 1938, p. 41.
15. "Haircutting Under Fire?". Trove. 20 January 1916. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
16. Downing 1919, p. 32.
17. Belford 1940.
18. "Nicknames and Personal Appelations". Notes and Queries . Twelfth Series. Vol. IX. The Times Publishing. 26 November 1921. p. 424.
19. Hargrave 1925, p. 366.
20. Bingo Slang Terms, 11 October 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
21. Enefer 1961, p. 19 & 37.
22. Allison, Paul (10 July 2025). "Bingo Lingo: Legs Eleven is innocent!". Bingo Rental. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
23. "Bingo Calls". Wink Bingo. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
24. Vosburgh 1994.
25. Green 1987, p. 56.
26. Jackson 2007.
27. King James Bible. Psalm 90 verse 10.
28. "Bingo Calls a Complete Guide Infographic".
29. "How to stay young, even if you're clickety-click". BBC News Online . 11 July 2002. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
30. "The history behind the game of Bingo".
31. Partners, Our Culture Mag & (7 November 2022). "The fall of the two fat ladies: how bingo lingo went woke". Our Culture. Retrieved 19 May 2025.

Sources

• Green, Jonathon (1987). Dictionary of jargon . London: Routledge. ISBN   0-7100-9919-3.
• Jackson, Katie (18 August 2007). "How we put the balls in bingo". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 2 August 2009.
• Partridge, Eric (2006). A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-134-96365-2.
• Vosburgh, Dick (8 March 1994). "Obituary: Walter Kent". The Independent. London. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
• Hargrave, Basil (1925). Origins and Meanings of Popular Phrases & Names. J. B. Lippincott Company.
• Belford, Walter C. (1940), ‘Legs-eleven’ being the story of the 11th Battalion (A.I.F.) in the Great War of 1914-1918, Imperial
• Downing, Walter Hubert (1919). Digger Dialects: A Collection of Slang Phrases used by the Australian Soldiers on Active Service. Lothian Book Publishing.
• Jolly, Rick (2018). Jackspeak, A guide to British Naval slang & usage, 3rd Edition. Conway. ISBN   978-1844861446.
• Enefer, Douglas (1961). Bingo. London: Consul.
• Wright, Peter (1981). Cockney Dialect and Slang. London: BT Batsford. ISBN   978-0713422429.
• Ponder, S.E.G. (1938). Seven Cantonments. London: Stanley paul.
• Green, Jonathon (1986). The Slang Thesaurus. London: Elm Tree Books. ISBN   9780241118511.