Bingo Line

Posted on4/10/2022by admin

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]

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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).
6	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.
9	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
16	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.
21	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.
23	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.
26	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.
27	Gateway to Heaven	Rhymes with '(twenty) seven'
28	In a state.	'Two and eight' is rhyming slang for 'state'.
28	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'.
40	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!'
53	Stuck in the tree	Rhymes with '(fifty) three'.
54	Man at the door	Rhymes with '(fifty) four'.
54	Clean the floor	Rhymes with '(fifty) four'.
55	All the fives^[5]	Rhymes with '(fifty) five'.
55	Snakes alive	Rhymes with '(fifty) five'.
56	Shotts bus^[5]	Refers to the former number of the bus from Glasgow to Shotts.
56	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'.
60	Five dozen	5 × 12 = 60. Refer to 12 above.
61	Bakers bun	Rhymes with '(sixty) one'.
62	Tickety-boo	Rhymes with '(sixty) two'.
62	Turn the screw	Rhymes with '(sixty) two'.
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.
64	Red raw	Rhymes with '(sixty) four'.
65	Retirement age, Stop work^[2]	A reference to the former male British age of mandatory retirement.
65	Old age pension
66	Clickety click^[7]	Rhymes with '(sixty) six'.
67	Stairway to Heaven	Coined by Andrew 'CIP' Lavelle.
67	Made in Heaven^[3]	Rhymes with '(sixty) seven'.
68	Pick a mate	Coined by Edward James Mackey II.
68	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'.
71	J.Lo's bum^[2]	Rhymes with '(seventy) one'.
72	Danny La Rue^[2]	Rhymes with '(seventy) two'
72	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.
74	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'.
77	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.
78	Heaven's gate	Rhymes with '(seventy) eight'.
79	One more time	Rhymes with '(seventy) nine'.
80	Gandhi's breakfast	'Ate nothing'.
80	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.
81	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).
89	Almost there	89 is one away from 90 (the end of the bingo numbers).
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]

^ ^a^b^c^d^e'J-Lo gets bingo call-up'. BBC News Online. 5 May 2003. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^h'R.I.P. 1950s Bingo Calls'. BBC News Online. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
^ ^a^b^c^d^eArielr (9 September 2020). 'Bingo Calls'. Wink Bingo. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
^Partridge 2006, p. 1397.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^gBingo – 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.
^ ^a^b^cGreen 1987, p. 56.
^ ^a^bBingo 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'.
^ ^a^b'Bingo Calls'. Wink Bingo. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
^ ^a^b'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]

Bingoliner.com

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.

Bingo Lines

External links[edit]

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