Back to the Content Page
20th May 2023
What are Bingo Calls?
Bingo calls are a range of funny little bingo names for the numbers in play – kind of like slang words, puns, cheeky little nicknames and even cockney rhyming slang. They make the entire game more fun and engaging!
That means you’ll hear all kinds of funny bingo sayings, referring to ‘little ducks’, ‘cups of tea’ and ‘men alive’ – and although it might sound strange or confusing at first, these bingo calls will become second nature to you while playing!
Bingo Call Numbers – The Complete List of Bingo Numbers and Sayings
Although over the years, some bingo calls have grown and changed according to the people playing or to current pop culture, most of the bingo names and bingo sayings have some standard and recognized names!
Here’s the full bingo calls list in the UK:
| Number | Bingo Call |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly’s Eye |
| 2 | One Little Duck |
| 3 | Cup of Tea |
| 4 | Knock at the Door |
| 5 | Man Alive |
| 6 | Half a Dozen – Tom Mix |
| 7 | Lucky Seven |
| 8 | Garden Gate |
| 9 | Doctor’s Order |
| 10 | (Prime Minister)’s Den |
| 11 | Legs Eleven |
| 12 | One Dozen |
| 13 | Unlucky for Some |
| 14 | Valentine’s Day |
| 15 | Young and Keen |
| 16 | Sweet Sixteen and Never Been Kissed |
| 17 | Dancing Queen |
| 18 | Coming of Age |
| 19 | Goodbye Teens |
| 20 | One Score |
| 21 | Royal Salute – Key of the Door |
| 22 | Two Little Ducks |
| 23 | Thee and Me |
| 24 | Two Dozen |
| 25 | Duck and Dive |
| 26 | Pick and Mix |
| 27 | Gateway to Heaven |
| 28 | In a State – Overweight |
| 29 | Rise and Shine |
| 30 | Dirty Gertie |
| 31 | Get up and Run |
| 32 | Buckle my Shoe |
| 33 | Dirty Knee – All the Threes – Fish, Chips and Peas |
| 34 | Ask for More |
| 35 | Jump and Jive |
| 36 | Three Dozen |
| 37 | More than Eleven |
| 38 | Christmas Cake |
| 39 | 39 Steps |
| 40 | Life Begins |
| 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 | Here Comes Herbie – Stuck in a Tree |
| 54 | Clean the Floor |
| 55 | Snakes Alive |
| 56 | Shotts Bus |
| 57 | Heinz Varieties |
| 58 | Make them Wait |
| 59 | Brighton Line |
| 60 | Five Dozen |
| 61 | Baker’s Bun |
| 62 | Turn the Screw – Tickety-Boo |
| 63 | Tickle Me Sixty Three |
| 64 | Red Raw |
| 65 | Old Age Pension |
| 66 | Clickety Click |
| 67 | Stairway to Heaven |
| 68 | Saving Grace |
| 69 | Favourite of Mine |
| 70 | Three Score and Ten |
| 71 | Bang on the Drum |
| 72 | Six Dozen |
| 73 | Queen Bee |
| 74 | Hit the Floor |
| 75 | Strive and Strive |
| 76 | Trombones |
| 77 | Sunset Strip |
| 78 | 39 More Steps |
| 79 | One More Time |
| 80 | Eight and Blank – Older callers might use ‘Gandhi’s Breakfast’ -“Ate Nothing”! |
| 81 | Stop and Run |
| 82 | Straight on Through |
| 83 | Time for Tea |
| 84 | Seven Dozen |
| 85 | Staying Alive |
| 86 | Between the Sticks |
| 87 | Torquay in Devon |
| 88 | Two Fat Ladies |
| 89 | Nearly There |
| 90 | Top of the Shop |
The 10 Most Well-Known (and Loved) Bingo Sayings
To non-bingo players, funny bingo calls can sound (at best) confusing and (at worst) completely bizarre.
But, behind some of the weirder bingo calls are cute, funny and interesting stories that explain how each bingo saying got to be where it is today.
- Number 11 – Legs Eleven: this is one of those funny bingo calls that you need to think about for it to make sense: the number ‘11’ looks like a pair of rather shapely legs…hence the funny bingo saying ‘legs eleven’.
- Number 88 – Two Fat ladies: just like with the bingo call above, ‘Two Fat Ladies’ needs you to look at the number 88…and realize that it kind of does look like two fat(ish) ladies standing next to one another!
- Number 8 – Garden Gate: as we mentioned above, some bingo calls can change according to the people you’re playing with. ‘Garden Gate;’ is a funny bingo call for number 8, and is cockney rhyming slang (as it rhymes).
- Number 7 – Lucky Seven: this one’s an easier bingo call to understand: the number ‘7’ is believed to be lucky across cultures and belief systems.
- Number 13 – Unlucky For Some: Just as ‘7’ is seen as a number bringing good luck, most cultures view the number 13 as bringing nothing but bad…for some people at least.
- Number 66 – Clickety Click: This one’s a funny bingo call for the punnists and linguists among you. The number ‘66’ sounds kind of like two clicks when you say it out loud…doesn’t it?
- Number 1 – Kelly’s Eye: you won’t ‘get’ this one, unless you’re in the bingo call club: The ‘Eye’ is that of Ned Kelly, the Australian outlaw, who had only one eye. Other funny, rude bingo calls for 1’ include ‘at the beginning’, buttered scone’, ‘Little Jimmy’ and ‘Nelson’s Column’!
- Number 4 – Knock At The Door: this one’s pretty self-explanatory, as this is a classic case of a rhyming slang bingo call!
- Number 9 – Doctor’s Orders: this bingo call requires you to have a bit of British history knowledge. During the Second World War, a ‘Number 9’ was a laxative given to you by an army medic!
- Number 30 – Dirty Gertie: this is both a case of rhyming slang, but also refers to a 1927 naked lady sculpture in north London, called ‘La Délivrance’.
Use your Bingo Calls
Of course, no game of bingo is complete without some of the best bingo sayings and bingo calls – play bingo today, and pay attention to the bingo calls you hear – and even make some up yourself!
