This is a list of British bingo nicknames. In the game of bingo in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, 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

Butlins

Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....

 holiday camps introduced some more modern calls devised by a Professor of Popular Culture in an attempt to bring fresh interest to bingo.

Number	Nickname	Explanation
1	Kelly's Eye	Military slang Military slang Military slang is an array of colloquial terminology used commonly by military personnel, including slang which is unique to or originates with the armed forces. It often takes the form of abbreviations/acronyms or derivations of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, or otherwise incorporates aspects of... ; possibly a reference to Ned Kelly Ned Kelly Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
2	One little duck	From the resemblance of the number 2 to a duck Duck Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered... ; see '22'
	Me and you	Romantic rhyme
3	Cup of tea Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
	You and me	Romantic rhyme
4	Knock at the door
5	Man alive
6	Tom Mix	After Tom Mix Tom Mix Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features... , a star of silent era Westerns
	Half a dozen
7	Lucky for some	7 is considered a lucky number in some cultures
8	Garden gate
9	Doctor's Orders	Number 9 was a laxative pill given out by army doctors in WWII.
10	(David's David Cameron David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament .... ) Den	The name refers to whoever currently resides at Number 10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister.... .
11	Legs Eleven	A reference to the shape of the number resembling a pair of legs. 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	The Lawnmower	The original lawnmower had a 14 inch blade.
16	Sweet 16, never been kissed
21	Key of the Door	The traditional age of majority Age of majority The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of... .
22	Two little ducks
23	The Lord is My Shepherd	The first words of Psalm 23 Psalm 23 In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....  of the Old Testament
24	Knock at the door
26	Two and six, half a crown.	Pre-decimalised currency in the UK. (See half crown Half crown (British coin) The half crown was a denomination of British money worth half of a crown, equivalent to two and a half shillings , or one-eighth of a pound. The half crown was first issued in 1549, in the reign of Edward VI... )
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 Music hall Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...  song of the same name Burlington Bertie "Burlington Bertie" is a music hall song composed by Harry B. Norris in 1900 and sung by Vesta Tilley. It concerns an aristocratic young idler who pursues a life of leisure in the West End of London....  composed in 1900, and a more famous parody (Burlington Bertie from Bow) written in 1915. Burlington Bertie is 100 to 30 on the race track
	Dirty Gertie	Common rhyme derived from the given name Gertrude Gertrude (given name) Gertrude is a female given name which is derived from Germanic roots that meant "spear" and "strength". "Trudi", originally a diminutive of "Gertrude", has developed into a name in its own right.... , used as a nickname for the statue La Delivrance La Delivrance La Délivrance is a 16-foot statue in bronze of a naked woman holding a sword aloft, and is the work of French sculptor Émile Oscar Guillaume . It is located at the southern edge of Finchley at Henly’s Corner, at the bottom of Regents Park Road...  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.
32	Buckle My Shoe
33	All the threes
35	Jump and Jive	A dance step
36	Three dozen
44	Droopy drawers	Rhyme that refers to sagging trousers Trousers Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately... .
52	Danny La Rue	A reference to drag Drag queen A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...  entertainer Danny La Rue Danny La Rue Danny La Rue, OBE was an Irish-born British entertainer known for his singing and drag impersonations.-Early life:... . Also used for other numbers ending in '2' (see '72' below).
	Chicken vindaloo	Introduced by Butlins in 2003.
53	Here comes Herbie	53 is the racing number of Herbie Herbie Herbie is an anthropomorphic Volkswagen Beetle, a character that is featured in several Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film The Love Bug. He has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself, and is a serious contender in auto racing competitions...  the VW Beetle. Players may reply "beep beep"!
54	House with a bamboo door
55	All the fives
57	Heinz Beanz	Refers to "Heinz 57 Heinz 57 Heinz 57 is a shortened, popular form of the "57 Varieties" slogan ofPittsburgh's H. J. Heinz Company. In its early days, the company wanted to advertise the great number of choices of canned and bottled foods it offered for sale. Although the company had more than 60 products in 1892, the number... ", the "57 Varieties" slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company H. J. Heinz Company The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J... .
59	Brighton Line
65	Stop work	A reference to the British age of mandatory retirement.
66	Clickety click
69	Anyway up.
71	Bang on the drum
72	Danny La Rue
76	Trombones	"Seventy-six Trombones Seventy-Six Trombones Seventy-six Trombones is the signature song from the musical play The Music Man , which was written by Meredith Willson. This song also appeared in the film The Music Man , and in the made-for-TV movie adaptation in 2003... " is a popular marching song.
	Was she worth it?	This refers to the pre-decimal Decimalisation Decimal currency is the term used to describe any currency that is based on one basic unit of currency and a sub-unit which is a power of 10, most commonly 100.... price of a marriage licence in Britain, 7/6d. The players shout back "Every Penny"
77	Two little crutches
80	Gandhi's Breakfast	Imagine looking down from above on Gandhi sitting cross-legged in front of a plate or "ate nothing"
87	Torquay in Devon
88	Two Fat Ladies
90	Top of the shop

External links

• Littlewoods Bingo has a full list of calls from 1-90.
• British Bingo Slang also has a sizeable list as well as some discussion of the origin of the names.