The Ultimate Guide to Bingo Calls

There are a total of 90 numbers for bingo, that bingo callers use with a different combination of rhyming, slang, puns, and cheeky phrases.

 Here is the Approved List of Bingo Calls in the UK:

Bingo Calls Based on Historical Reference in the UK

There are many historical references in bingo lingos that come from the 1950s and 60s. Take a look at several top historical references in bingo calls here -

1 - Kelly's Eye: It has a cloudier origin. Some base it on a comic strip Valiant, published between 1962 and 1976, where the character Kelly owned a magic amulet in the shape of an eye. Others refer it to Ned Kelly, one of Australia’s greatest folk heroes, and use this phrase as military slang.

9 - Doctor's Order:  It originated from World War II when British doctors prescribed ‘number nine pill’ to soldiers with digestive issues. So, it became the slang term for laxative pills.

10 - Cameron's Den:  It references number 10 Downing Street and bingo caller often use current Prime Minister into this call like “Cameron's den,” after David Cameron, “Tony’s den” for Tony Blair, and “Maggie’s den” for Margaret Thatcher.

21 - Royal Salute: It refers to the 21-gun salute presented at the royal and military ceremonies in the UK.

30 - Dirty Gertie: Taken from a humorous song - “Dirty Gertie From Bizerte,” by World War II soldiers.

49 - PC:  This bingo calling got picked from the wartime radio show named “The Adventures of P.C. 49,”. It aired from 1946–53 about an unconventional police constable solving cases in London that gained a lot of popularity.

56 - Was She Worth It? In the 1950s, the cost of a marriage license was five shillings and sixpence. Women players used to shout back “every penny!” in response to this bingo call.

76 - Trombones:  Based on a song from the 1957 musical 'The Music Man.'

Bingo Calls Based on Rhymings

One of the things that you can notice about bingo calls is that most of them rhyme.

That's not a coincidence! 

More than 50 of them have names that rhyme with their numbers like '15 Young and Keen', ‘42 Winnie the Pooh’, or ‘85 Staying Alive.’ It makes the bingo calls more catchy, likeable, and memorable for both the caller and the players.

Bingo Calls Based on The Bingo Numbers Shapes

The shape of numbers became a significant contributor to many bingo calls like ‘Two Little Ducks 22’, and ‘Legs Eleven 11.’ These became the instantly recognisable bingo calls as the number two looked like a little duck. Similarly, the number 55 - “Snakes Alive” - five looks like a live snake. Bingo calls based on the shapes of numbers - 

44 - Droopy Drawers: One of the funny bingo numbers, as the visual representation of the number four, looks like baggy underwear. The players always laugh whenever the bingo caller says it.

69 - Either Way Up: Also, known as “the same both ways”. If you flip each of the numbers upside down, they remain the same, hence the bingo call.

77 - Double Hockey Sticks: Another visual nickname based on the shape of the number - an upside-down hockey stick. It's also called "double sevens,” “lucky sevens,” or “two little crutches."

88 - Two Fat Ladies: Another funny bingo number, wherein eight resembles a fat lady. So, it is like two large ladies sitting next to each other.

Bingo Calls Based on Popular References or WordPlays

These bingo calls do not have any specific famous references, but obvious to remember and easy-to-use wordplays like counting the dozens - number 12 - “one dozen,” 24 -“two dozen,” and it goes on up till “seven dozen” at the number 84.

Some obvious bingo calls references -

7 - Lucky Seven: The number seven traditionally considered lucky.

13 - Unlucky for Some: The number thirteen traditionally considered unlucky.

14 - Valentine’s Day: 14 of February Valentine's Day

16 - Sweet 16:  One of the most significant birthdays for teenage girls

18 - Coming of Age: The age when teens become adults, get voting rights. That's the reason why some bingo callers also use the slag “now you can vote.”

20 - One Score: An old word for the number 20 - Score, referred to Abraham Lincoln’s - Gettysburg Address: “Four score and seven years ago.”

65 - Old Age Pension: It represented the traditional age when people retire and started collecting their pensions.

59 - Brighton Line: It takes a person to travel 59 minutes by train from Brighton to London. It's also called route 59, thus the slang.

52 - Danny La Rue: It took reference from a modern pop culture icon, based on the Irish singer known for his cross-dressing.

90 - Top of the Shop: A nickname for the last bingo number. Bingo callers also call it - “the end of the line,” or “as far as we go.”

Bingo Calls Around the World

While most of the bingo calls originated in the UK, some got picked around the world like

6 – Tom Mix: Based on a movie star from silent movies.

45 – Cowboy’s friend: Old significance of wild west - named after a Colt 45 revolver

42 – The street in Manhattan: Bingo call named after the 1933 movie called the 42nd Street

77 – Sunset Strip: Based on a US TV show from the 50s and 60s.