Bingo calls

Bingo Calls: Bingo numbers and funny nicknames

Bingo calls

Bingo Lingo is a term referring to the slang used in traditional bingo halls. With bingo moving online, these terms have also moved to bingo rooms you can join on dedicated bingo sites.

If you are new to this form of entertainment, all these strange words and phrases may give you a hard time.

Stay with us to learn all about bingo calls and get ready for your next bingo session.

What Are Bingo Calls?


Bingo calls are nicknames given to bingo numbers.

Bingo is all about having fun, and using funny names for bingo numbers contributes to the overall gaming experience.

Although they are not the only terms in the slang used in bingo, bingo calls are the most entertaining ones as they mainly come in rhymes.

They may vary depending on the region the player comes from. Still, one thing is for sure – bingo calls keep spreading among online players faster than ever.

History of Bingo Calls

Originating in the 1950s in East London, bingo calls have been used for all numbers used in the game.

Their primary role was to clarify drawn numbers as some of them could have sounded the same. When you are in a bingo hall, you may not hear clearly which number has been announced. That’s when the number nicknames could help you tell two numbers apart.

Spreading around the UK, bingo calls have changed with new pop-culture references added to them. From bingo halls to the online bingo world, players have preserved widespread bingo calls and sayings.

While numbers are generated and marked digitally when playing the game online, the popular terms are today used for the sake of fun.

Bingo Calls Explained

Each number has its own nickname which can vary from region to region in the UK.

Some bingo calls are based on rhymes, like 8 Garden Gate, 17 Dancing Queen, 26 Pick and Mix or 62 Turn the Screw.

Some nicknames draw inspiration from the shape of numbers. The famous examples include 11 Legs 11, 22 Two Little Ducks or 69 Either Way up, also known as The Same Both Ways.

Another example is 55 Snakes Alive, which combines both the reference to the shape of the number 5 and a rhyme.

Some bingo calls contain historical references as well.

One of them is 9 Doctor’s Orders. It originates from the Second World War, when British doctors gave the number nine pill, a laxative, to soldiers without a specific condition to clear their organism of ills.

Full list of Bingo calls

  1. Kelly’s Eye
  2. One Little Duck
  3. Cup of Tea
  4. Knock at the Door
  5. Man Alive
  6. Tom Mix
  7. Lucky Seven
  8. Garden Gate
  9. Doctor’s Orders
  10. Boris’s Den (Name of the current PM)
  11. Legs 11
  12. One Dozen
  13. Unlucky for Some
  14. Valentine’s Day
  15. Young and Keen
  16. Sweet 16
  17. Dancing Queen
  18. Coming of Age
  19. Goodbye Teens
  20. One Score
  21. Royal Salute
  22. Two Little Ducks
  23. Thee and Me
  24. Two Dozen
  25. Duck and Dive
  26. Two and six, half a crown (or A to Z)
  27. Duck and a crutch.
  28. Overweight (or “In a state.”)
  29. Rise and Shine
  30. Burlington Bertie (or “Dirty Gertie”)
  31. Get Up and Run
  32. Buckle My Shoe
  33. Fish, chips and peas
  34. Ask for More
  35. Jump and Jive
  36. Three Dozen
  37. More than 11
  38. Christmas Cake
  39. Steps
  40. Naughty 40
  41. Time for Fun
  42. Winnie the Pooh
  43. Down on Your Knees
  44. Droopy Drawers
  45. Halfway There
  46. Up to Tricks
  47. Four and Seven
  48. Four Dozen
  49. PC
  50. It’s a bullseye!
  51. Tweak of the Thumb
  52. Deck of Cards
  53. Stuck in the Tree
  54. Clean the Floor
  55. Snakes Alive
  56. Was She Worth It?
  57. Heinz Varieties
  58. Make Them Wait
  59. Brighton Line
  60. Five Dozen
  61. Bakers Bun
  62. Turn the Screw
  63. Tickle Me 63
  64. Red Raw
  65. Old Age Pension
  66. Clickety Click
  67. Made in Heaven
  68. Saving Grace
  69. Either Way Up
  70. Three Score and 10
  71. Bang on the Drum
  72. Six Dozen
  73. Queen Bee
  74. Candy Store
  75. Strive and Strive
  76. Trombones
  77. Sunset Strip
  78. Heaven’s Gate
  79. One More Time
  80. Eight and Blank
  81. Fat Lady with a walking stick
  82. Straight On Through
  83. Time for Tea
  84. Seven Dozen
  85. Staying Alive
  86. Between the Sticks
  87. Torquay in Devon
  88. Two Fat Ladies
  89. Almost there
  90. Top of the Shop