Bingo is an internationally loved game that relies on chance but could be influenced by players’ reflexes. It has a rich history of practice in the United Kingdom, where it has been played since the World War 2. Back in the day when bingo was first catching on, an interesting phenomenon occurred: to hear the numbers better when they are called, people came up with nicknames for them – also try Madame Destiny Megaways.
Some say it was the Firemen of London that penned the nicknames, others claim it was the soldiers and servicemen of WW2. But regardless of who came up with them, here we present all of the bingo numbers’ names.
| 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 Centry |
| 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 say “Ghandi’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 |
As we can see, some numbers take their name from the rhyming slang associated with it or from the way the number looks, while others are a bit more difficult to decode. Some of the number names are references to historical events or pop culture, like the number 52 – Danny La Rue, which refers to a famous Irish entertainer. While some argue about who created the nicknames, we can all agree that they make the game not only more clear but also more fun and alive!
