If you don’t know your two fat ladies from your legs eleven then make sure you give this guide a read before your next game of bingo. Bingo callers traditionally use nicknames (words or phrases) to refer to the numbers that have been drawn which are often referred to as bingo lingo. This can be a bit confusing at first but don’t let it put you off as the lingo is easy to pick up.
We’ve put together a fairly comprehensive list of traditional bingo calls used in the UK from 1 right up to 90. This list is by no means carved in stone as there are often variations from site to site. Usually, you’ll find that not all bingo calls are used and sometimes there are local variations. Some bingo sites even have their own unique bingo slang that you won’t come across anywhere else.
List of British 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 7
- 8 – Garden Gate
- 9 – Doctor’s Orders
- 10 – Theresa’s Den
- 11 – Legs Eleven
- 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 – Key of the Door
- 22 – Two Little Ducks
- 23 – Thee and Me
- 24 – Two Dozen
- 25 – Duck and Dive
- 26 – Pick N Mix
- 27 – Gateway to Heaven
- 28 – Overweight
- 29 – Rise and Shine
- 30 – Dirty Gertie
- 31 – Get up and Run
- 32 – Buckle my Shoe
- 33 – Dirty Knee
- 34 – Ask for More
- 35 – Jump and Jive
- 36 – Three Dozen
- 37 – More than Eleven
- 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 – Half a Century
- 51 – Tweak of the Thumb
- 52 – Danny La Rue
- 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 – Brighten Line
- 60 – Grandma’s Getting Frisky
- 61 – Bakers Bun
- 62 – Turn on the Screw
- 63 – Tickle Me
- 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 B
- 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 – Stop and Run
- 82 – Straight on Through
- 83 – Stop Farting!
- 84 – Seven Dozen
- 85 – Staying Alive
- 86 – Between the Sticks
- 87 – Torquay in Devon
- 88 – Two Fat Ladies
- 89 – Nearly There or Almost There
- 90 – Top of the Shop
Funny and Rude Bingo Calls
- 8 – Sexy Kate
- 19 – Keep ’em keen
- 20 – Getting plenty
- 21 – Adult fun
- 24 – Did you score
- 30 – Dirty Girty
- 34 – Flirty whore
- 37 – One night in heaven
- 41 – I’ve done your mum
- 44 – On all fours
- 66 – Kinky tricks
- 69 – Your place or mine
- 87 – Grandma’s gone to heaven
Quirky Number Variations
Did you make the connection with the bingo call associated with the number 10? It refers to the prime minister who resides at 10 Downing Street so it changes depending on who’s in power at the time.
While most bingo numbers are supposed to be funny, some of them are pretty rude such as the ‘Either way up’ call that’s used for the number 69.
History of Bingo Names
Bingo calls were originally created to keep the game interesting and to catch the attention of players in noisy bingo halls. With everything going electronic, bingo calls are no longer needed but you’ll still find them at many online bingo sites. They’re fun and it’s nice to hold onto that little bit of history.
Some of the bingo calls date back to the 1950s so they aren’t as relevant with younger players as they once were. For example, ‘Tom Mix’, a star of many early westerns from the silent movie era, is traditionally used for the number six.
In 2003, Butlin’s holiday camp introduced some new bingo calls in an attempt to bring fresh interest to bingo such as ‘J Lo’s Bum’ for the number 71, ‘Gareth Gates’ for 8 and ‘Ali G’ for 30.
More recently, Mecca Bingo has revamped the bingo calls to bring them more up-to-date. ‘Tom Mix’ has now been replaced with the all-girl pop band ‘Little Mix’ who won The X Factor in 2011. Other new bingo calls include ‘Tinder Date’ for the number 8, ‘Selfie Queen’ for 17 and ‘Tag a Mate’ for 48. The new calls have actually been picked by the players themselves via the social media channels – and they’ve picked well!
Conclusion
Bingo wouldn’t be bingo without these quirky bingo calls so hopefully, they’re here to stay even if they do need updating once and a while. ‘Grandma’s Getting Frisky’ for number 60 is definitely our favourite but it’s a bit risky for some callers who’d rather refer to it as five dozen.
If you fancy putting your new found knowledge of bingo lingo to use, why not check out our best bingo sites page, where you can find some top deals for playing online bingo and follow along with the calls like a pro.
Bingo Calls PDF Download
Want to download our complete list of UK bingo calls? Click here to download the PDF version listing all 90 bingo numbers and nicknames on a convenient sheet.
