Bingo Calls: The Full List of UK Bingo Lingo (1–90)
Two fat ladies, legs eleven, clickety-click – bingo calls are half the fun of a game. Whether you’re new to bingo or just want to know where “Kelly’s eye” came from, here’s our full list of traditional UK bingo calls from 1 to 90.
Callers often have their own favourites, and many halls have local versions, so you may hear something different on the night. Online, most bingo rooms show the number on screen, but many still play the traditional calls as audio – and the chat rooms love them.
Why do bingo callers use rhymes?
Bingo calls started as a practical trick. In a noisy hall, “eight” and “eighty” are easy to mix up, so callers added rhymes and nicknames to make each number clear. Many come from rhyming slang, old music-hall jokes and military slang, and a few reflect the shape of the numbers – 88 looks like two ladies side by side, and 11 looks like a pair of legs.
Bingo calls 1 to 30
| Number | 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 |
| 7 | Lucky seven |
| 8 | Garden gate |
| 9 | Doctor’s orders |
| 10 | Cock and hen |
| 11 | Legs eleven |
| 12 | One dozen |
| 13 | Unlucky for some |
| 14 | Valentine’s Day |
| 15 | Young and keen |
| 16 | Sweet sixteen |
| 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 and mix |
| 27 | Gateway to heaven |
| 28 | In a state |
| 29 | Rise and shine |
| 30 | Dirty Gertie |
Bingo calls 31 to 60
| Number | Call |
|---|---|
| 31 | Get up and run |
| 32 | Buckle my shoe |
| 33 | All the threes |
| 34 | Ask for more |
| 35 | Jump and jive |
| 36 | Three dozen |
| 37 | More than eleven |
| 38 | Christmas cake |
| 39 | Steps |
| 40 | Naughty forty |
| 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 | Brighton line |
| 60 | Five dozen |
Bingo calls 61 to 90
| Number | Call |
|---|---|
| 61 | Baker’s bun |
| 62 | Tickety-boo |
| 63 | Tickle me |
| 64 | Red raw |
| 65 | Old age pension |
| 66 | Clickety-click |
| 67 | Stairway to heaven |
| 68 | Saving grace |
| 69 | Either way up |
| 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 | Heaven’s gate |
| 79 | One more time |
| 80 | Eight and blank |
| 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 stories behind some favourite calls
- Kelly’s eye (1) – the origin is disputed. Some say it refers to the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, others to an old music-hall joke.
- Legs eleven (11) – the two ones look like a pair of legs. In halls, players often wolf-whistle back.
- Key of the door (21) – 21 was traditionally the age you were given a key to the family home.
- Two little ducks (22) – the twos look like ducks on a pond. Expect a “quack quack” from the room.
- Heinz varieties (57) – from the famous “57 varieties” slogan on Heinz labels.
- Brighton line (59) – said to come from the old 59 bus or train service to Brighton.
- Clickety-click (66) – it’s simply the sound of the two sixes, rattled off quickly.
- Two fat ladies (88) – the most famous call of all, because two eights look like two curvy figures side by side.
Bingo lingo you’ll hear in the room
- Full house – all the numbers on your ticket marked off. The top prize in 90-ball bingo.
- One line / two lines – the smaller wins in 90-ball, before the full house.
- Dabber – the marker pen used to mark numbers. Online, the site “auto-daubs” for you.
- On one / 1TG – you need just one more number. In online chat, “1TG” means “one to go”.
- Eyes down – the game is about to start.
- GL / WD – online chat shorthand for “good luck” and “well done”.
Want to try online bingo?
If you fancy hearing the calls for yourself, take a look at our list of the best UK bingo sites. We only list sites licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, and we show the key bonus terms next to every offer.
18+ only. Bingo should be a bit of fun – set a budget and stick to it. If gambling stops being fun, get free, confidential help from GambleAware, the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 (GamCare), or block gambling sites with GAMSTOP.