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]
Number Nickname Explanation
1 Kelly's Eye Military slang;[3] possibly a reference to Ned Kelly
2 One little duck From the resemblance of the number 2 to a duck; see '22'
Me and you Romantic rhyme
3 Cup of tea  
You and me Romantic rhyme
4 Knock at the door  
5 Man alive  
6 Tom Mix[2] After Tom Mix, a star of silent era Westerns
Half a dozen[4]  
7 Lucky for some[4] 7 is considered a lucky number in some cultures
8 Garden gate[4]  
9 Doctor's Orders[4][5] Number 9 was a laxative pill given out by army doctors in WWII.
10 (Gordon's) Den The name refers to whoever currently resides at Number 10 Downing Street.
11 Legs Eleven[5] An obvious reference to the shape of the number resembling a pair of legs. The players often wolf whistle in response.
12 One dozen An obvious reference to there being 12 units in one dozen.
13 A baker's dozen An obvious reference to there being 13 units in one baker's dozen.
16 Sweet 16, never been kissed[2]  
21 Key of the Door The traditional age of majority.
22 Two little ducks  
23 The Lord is My Shepherd The first words of Psalm 23 of the Old Testament
24 Knock at the door
26 Two and six, half a crown. Pre-decimalised currency in the UK.
27 Duck and a crutch. The number 2 looks like a duck (see '2') and the number 7 looks like a crutch.
28 Two and eight, in a state. Rhyming slang for "state".
30 Burlington Bertie 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.
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.[6]
32 Buckle My Shoe[1]  
33 All the threes[4]  
35 Jump and Jive[2] A dance step
36 Three dozen  
44 Droopy drawers[5] Rhyme that refers to sagging trousers.
52 Danny La Rue[7] 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]
53 Here comes Herbie 53 is the racing number of Herbie the VW Beetle. Players may reply "beep beep"!
54 House with a bamboo door  
55 All the fives[4]  
57 Heinz Beanz[4] Refers to "Heinz 57", the "57 Varieties" slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company.
59 Brighton Line[5]  
65 Stop work[2] A reference to the British age of mandatory retirement.
66 Clickety click[5]  
69 Anyway up.  
71 Bang on the drum[2]  
72 Danny La Rue[2]  
76 Trombones[8] "Seventy-six Trombones" is a popular marching song.
76 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[8]  
80 Gandhi's Breakfast Imagine looking down from above on Gandhi sitting cross-legged in front of a plate
87 Torquay in Devon  
88 Two Fat Ladies[9]  
90 Top of the shop[4]  

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "J-Lo gets bingo call-up". BBC News Online. 5 May 2003
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "R.I.P. 1950s Bingo Calls". BBC News Online. 7 May 2003.

  3. ^ Eric Partridge, "A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English".

  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Bingo - Trendier than Clubbing!, Inside Out (BBC), 23 September 2002.
  5. ^ a b c d e Green, Jonathon (1987). Dictionary of jargon. Routledge. pp. 56. ISBN 0710099193.
  6. ^ "Obituary: Walter Kent", The Independent, 1994-03-08,
  7. ^ Jackson, Katie (2007-08-28), "How we put the balls in bingo", Daily Mirror,
  8. ^ a b How to stay young, even if you're clickety-click, BBC News Online, 11 July 2002.
  9. ^ Lemanski, Dominik (2008-04-20), "Amy's No, No, No to Kebab", Daily Star,

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