Ultimate Bingo Lingo Guide: All 90 Bingo Number Call Origins

What are bingo calls and where do they originate?

If you are new to the exciting world of bingo and feel like you’re getting thrown into the deep end. Then this is the right place for you. Have you ever thought to yourself what are bingo numbers calls and what do they mean? Then Best Bingo Bets ultimate guide to Bingo Number Call Origins is for you. Bingo Lingo can be confusing at times and that’s not how you want to be when you’re enjoying yourself online and trying to win some goodies. Number calls in Bingo have been a stable since its beginning in British bingo halls. Online bingo is no different – don’t know your “two fat ladies” from your “two little ducks?” Best Bingo Bets has a full list of bingo number calls for you. Continue reading for all 90 bingo number calls.

Full List of Bingo Calls

Number	Nickname	Explanation
1	Kelly’s Eye	The pun is military slang; possibly a reference to Ned Kelly. After the Valiant comic strip “Kelly’s Eye” where the eponymous Kelly possessed a magic amulet
2	One little duck Me and you	From the resemblance of the number 2 to a duck; see ’22’ Romantic rhyme
3	Cup of tea You and me	Rhymes with “Three” Just you & me! A romantibc bingo rhyme.
4	Knock at the door	Rhymes with “Four”
5	Man alive	Rhymes with “Five”
6	Tom Mix Half a dozen	Rhymes with “Six”. After Tom Mix, a star of silent-era Westerns “A dozen” is a commonly used phrase meaning twelve
7	Lucky	7 is considered a lucky number in some cultures
8	Garden gate	Rhymes with “Eight”
9	Doctor’s Orders	Number 9 was a laxative pill given out by army doctors in WWII
10	(Theresa’s) Den	The name refers to whoever currently resides at Number 10 Downing Street
11	Legs eleven	A reference to the shape of the number resembling a pair of legs, often chicken legs specifically. 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	The Lawnmower Valentines Day	The original lawnmower had a 14-inch blade The date of Valentines day, February 14th.
15	Young and Keen	Fifteen rhymes with keen
16	Never been kissed	After the song Sweet Sixteen and Never Been Kissed
17	Dancing Queen	ABBA’s song Dancing Queen has the number mentioned in the lyrics
18	Coming of Age	Eighteen is the age of maturity in the UK
19	Goodbye Teens	Nineteen is the age at which people stop being teenagers
20	One Score	A reference to there being 20 units in one score
21	Key of the Door Royal Salute	The traditional age of majority “Chivas Royal Salute” is a Scottish branded whiskey known for its 21 year old maturation.
22	Two little ducks	The numeral 22 resembles the profile of two ducks. Response is often “quack, quack, quack”
23	The Lord is My Shepherd Three and Me	The first words of Psalm 23 of the Old Testament
24	Knock at the door Two Dozen	Rhymes with “(Twenty) Four” A dozen often means 12 – Two Dozen = 24
25	Duck and dive	Rhymes with “(Twenty) Five”
26	Two and six, half a crown Pick and mix	Pre-decimalised currency in the UK. (See half crown) Who didn’t love a pick and mix? Plus this bingo call rhymes with 26
27	Duck and a crutch Gateway to Heaven	The number 2 looks like a duck (see ‘2’) and the number 7 looks like a crutch
28	In a state overweight	“Two and eight” is rhyming slang for “state” The Bingo call “Overweight” rhymes with 28
29	Rise and Shine	Rhymes with “(Twenty) Nine”
30	Burlington Bertie Dirty Gertie	Reference to a music hall song of the same name composed in 1900, and a more famous parody (Burlington Bertie from Bow) written in 1915 specifically the line: “I’m Burlington Bertie I rise at ten-thirty” 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
31	Get Up and Run	Rhymes with “(Thirty) One”
32	Buckle My Shoe	Rhymes with “(Thirty) Two”
33	Two Little Fleas Dirty knee	A visual reference to the shape of the insects
34	Ask for More	Rhymes with “(Thirty) Four”
35	Jump and Jive	A dance step
36	Three dozen	3 x 12 = 36. Refer to 12 above
37	Four Dozen	4 x 12 = 48. Refer to 12 above
38	Four Dozen	4 x 12 = 48. Refer to 12 above
39	Steps	From the film ‘39 Steps’
40	Naughty 40	Naughty Forty or Naughty 40 could have several origins, from the quintessential ladies themed birthday night celebrated worldwide, to the Naughty 40 hooligan team linked known for supporting Stoke City FC. Whatever the official reason this bingo call is instantly recognisable.
41	Time for fun. Life’s Begun.	This bingo call “Time for Fun” doesn’t seem to have any particular origin although the alternative bingo call of Life’s Begun can be synonymous with the first birthday after that dreaded 40! That’s when life begins after all, so why not have fun!
42	Winnie the Pooh	Who doesn’t recognise the loveable Winnie the Pooh character? Not many, and that’s why its a popular bingo call for the number 42. A fun bit of lesser known Bingo Trivia is Disney has released a 42″ Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal to celebrate its success. Coincidence? It just could be!
43	Down on your knees	This popular bingo call can be traced back to soldiers slang during the war! Fairly self-explanatory, Down on your knees… To avoid something nasty! This bingo call is often misrepresented as a rude bingo call with other connotations, but we’ll let you guess that one for yourself.
44	Droppy Drawers	Droopy Drawers are also known as baggy trousers ‘over this side of the pond’. A simple rhyming bingo call that is instantly recognisable.
45	Half way there	This is one of most well-known bingo calls from every bingo call, ‘Halfway there!’. Understandably so, 45 is halfway to 90, the highest number in traditional bingo.
46	Up to tricks	Something you wouldn’t hope to find in a bingo hall, “up to tricks” means somebody who is being mischevious or up to no good!
47	Four and Seven	There’s no pretending this is the most imaginative bingo call out there! Nonetheless and easy and simple way to distinguish the number, Four and Seven makes 47.
48	Four Dozen	4 x 12 = 48. Refer to 12 above. Maths not your thing? No need to worry! Now you know the bingo call you don’t need to think too hard about it.
49	PC	If you don’t recognise this popular bingo call, then you might be showing your age! ‘PC’ was a popular radio show in the 40’s called PC 49.
50	It’s a bullseye!	In a game of darts, a bullseye is traditionally scored as 50 points. Hence this easy to remember bingo call.
51	Tweak of the Thumb The Highland Division I love my mum	A funny bingo call that needs no explanation, a silly rhyme that’s easy to remember. A “tweak of the thumb” is where you twist, knock or generally injure your thumb! The Highland Division, a lesser known bingo call, The Highland Division were a brave WW2 group of soldiers known for their high intelligence. Depending on the dialect and area, a slightly lesser known but equally charming bingo call, “I love my mum’ …well, who doesn’t?!
52	Danny La Rue Chicken vindaloo	A reference to drag entertainer Danny La Rue. Also used for other numbers ending in ‘2’ (see ’72’ below) Introduced by Butlins in 2003. A popular English made curry dish styled on Indian origins, who said bingo rhymes are not multi-cultural!
53	Here comes Herbie	53 is the racing number of Herbie the VW Beetle. Players may reply “beep beep”! A wonderfully engaging bingo call.
54	Man at the door House of Bamboo	Another simply yet effective bingo call, “Man at the door” Rhymes with “(Fifty) Four” House of Bamboo is a song made popular by Andy Williams. In the song, the protagonist talks about a house with a door made of bamboo with a number ’54’ on it.
55	Musty Hive	Another bingo rhyme, Rhymes with “(Fifty) Five”
56	Shotts Bus She was worth it	Refers to the former number of the bus from Glasgow to Shotts Was she worth it? She better have been! In olden English times 56 was the cost of a marriage licence. A lesser used bingo call these days but important nonetheless.
57	Heinz Varieties	Refers to “Heinz 57”, the “57 Varieties” slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company
58	Make them Wait	A popular phrase synonymous with relationship advice, haggling lessons, sales people and many more life lessons! “Make them wait” is a funny bingo call with many connotations.
59	The Brighton Line	Quote from The Importance of Being Earnest. Also, 59 was the starting 2 digits of all original Brighton telephone numbers
60	Grandma’s getting frisky	Pretty close to a rhyme with ‘sixty’. A slighty rude bingo call but still funny!
61	Bakers Bun	Another easy to remember rhyming bingo call, “Bakers Bun”. Am I the only one that get’s hungry listening to this funny bingo call?
62	Tickety-boo	This bingo call Rhymes with “(Sixty) Two”. “Tickety-boo” is rhyming slang that generally means a person is; doing well, good, or okay!
63	Tickel me 63	Another bingo rhyme that could be considered rude! A simple rhyming phrase used to easily remember the number 63. If you have the number 63 then you will be tickled when they call this bingo rhyme.
64	Almost retired	A reference to the British age of mandatory retirement – specifically being one year away from it.
65	Stop work	No, don’t stop playing! This bingo call is a reference to the British age of mandatory retirement.
66	Clickety click	This is an easy bingo call, “Clickety click” Rhymes with “(Sixty) Six”
67	Stairway to Heaven	Coined by Andrew “CIP” Lavelle
68	Pick a Mate	Coined by Edward James Mackey II
69	Anyway up, Meal for Two, A Favourite of mine	A possible reference to the 69 sex position, but we can’t say for sure… A definitely rude bingo call!
70	Three Score and 10	Beleive it or not this is a slightly out of place bingo call found earliest in the bible of all places. “Thee score years and 10” Referenced 3x 20(years) + 10 more years = 70 years old.
71	Bang on the Drum	Rhymes with “(Seventy) One”.
72	Danny La Rue	Rhymes with “(Seventy) Two”. Danny La Rue was an Irish-born English entertainer known for his stage performances and cross-dressing.
73	Queen Bee, Under The Tree, Lucky 3	Rhymes with “(Seventy) Three”
74	Hit the Floor	Coined by Ann Fitzsimons
75	Strive and strive	To strive means to make great efforts to accomplish or achieve something. Well, I think we can all sympathise with this feeling when trying to win at bingo!
76	Trombones Was she worth it?	“Seventy-Six Trombones” is a popular marching song, from the musical The Music Man “Was she worth it?” This refers to the pre-decimal price of a marriage licence in Britain, 7/6d. The players shout back “Every Penny”
77	Two little crutches Sunset Strip	Visual reference to the shape crutches 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
79	One More Time	Another easily understood bingo rhyme, “One more time” Now this could certainly refer to another game of bingo!
80	Gandhi’s Breakfast	Imagine looking down from above on Mahatma Gandhi sitting cross-legged in front of a plate or “ate nothing”
81	Fat Lady with a walking stick	The number 8 is supposed to visually represent a lady with ample bosom and hips, while the number 1 is supposed to visually represent a walking stick. Another somewhat rude bingo call!
82	Straight on Through	You’re almost there at the end with bingo number 82, so “Straight on Through!”
83	Time for Tea	A rhyming bingo call – If you’re british then is there ever a not a “Time for Tea”?
84	Seven dozen	7 x 12 = 84. Refer to 12 being “a dozen” above
85	Staying alive	Bingo call that Rhymes with “(Eighty) Five”. A popular 1977 Bee Gee’s song.
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	The number 88 visually represents a lady next to another lady. Refer to 81 above. Players can reply with ‘Wobble, wobble’
89	Nearly there Almost there	89 is one away from 90 (the end of the bingo numbers).
90	Top of the shop	90 is the highest (top) number in bingo. Shop refers to the entire game of bingo (and also rhymes with “top”)

Best Bingo Bets was happy to present you an exhaustive list of all the bingo calls, including rhyming bingo calls, local bingo calls & more worldly bingo calls. This was the ultimate guide to Bingo Number Call Origins! We can’t find a more complete list of bingo calls online anywhere. If you know any we’re missing, or have your own suggestions then please let us know.

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