Bingo Calls
What are bingo calls and where did they come from? Just how did some of these common phrases come into the game and why are they such a big part of it?
If you’ve ever played bingo in the physical world then you will have already heard a bingo caller use some of these calls ahead of the actual bingo numbers so let’s take a look in more depth at these.
- 1. Kelly’s Eye: No-one is completely sure of the origin of this one but it could be attributed to the legendary Australian Outlaw Ned Kelly.
- 6. Tom Mix: Tom Mix was an actor who played many cowboy roles in the days of silent film.
- 9. Doctor’s Orders: This bingo call is supposed to relate to the last time that a doctor would see patients – 9pm.
- 10. Theresa’s Den: A changeable bingo call that alters depending on who the current UK Prime Minister may be.
- 11. Legs: Simply because the number 11 looks like a pair of legs!
- 17: Dancing Queen: This is one of the more modern bingo calls and, as you may have already guessed, it is named after the memorable Abba hit of the same name.
- 22: Two little ducks: This is another symbolic call as two twos together will somehow look like two little ducks.
- 26: Bed and Breakfast: Now we have a number that isn’t just exclusive to the bingo hall. The term for 26 can also be heard in darts and it relates to the amount that a Bed and Breakfast may have charged in days gone by.
- 28: In a state: Based on cockney rhyming slang – two and eight would have meant that you were ‘in a state’.
- 30: Burlington Bertie: Rhyming Slang again and based on a music hall song from the early 1900s.
- 39: Steps: This derives from the famous John Buchan novel – 39 Steps
- 42: Manhattan: One of the more obvious bingo numbers, this is from Manhattan’s
- 42nd Street.
- 45: Cowboys’ Friend: In the Wild West, a Cowboy’s Friend was a Colt 45 Revolver
- 49: PC: For this bingo call we have to go back down memory lane again: It relates to PC49, a popular UK radio show from the 1940s and 50s.
- 50: Hawaii: A slightly more up to date one: Here, the bingo caller is referring to the TV cop show Hawaii Five O.
- 53: Here Comes Herbie: In the popular Herbie films, the VW Beetle has the number 53 on its bonnet
- 56: Was she worth it? Supposedly, prior to decimal coinage in the UK, 5 and 6 was the price of a marriage license
- 57: Heinz: Heinz can relate to 57 in a number of walks of life including Bingo and Sports Betting. The food manufacturer Heinz famously claim they have ’57 varieties’.
- 59: Brighton Line: 5 and 9 was the ‘Brighton Line’ the London to Brighton bus service
- 62: Tickety-Boo: Like a number of bingo calls, this is an army phrase and this means ‘all is well’.
- 64: The Beatles: Relating to the Beatles’ hit ‘When I’m 64’.
- 67: The argumentative number: A bingo caller may use this in reference to the term ‘at sixes and sevens’ when a person feels uneasy about something.
- 72: Par for the Course: 72 is the standard par score for a 72 hole golf course
- 75: Big Daddy: The link may not be an obvious one for this bingo call but it relates to a famous wrestler from the 1970s.
- 76: Trombone Time: From the Music Man, this is the song ’76 Trombones’.
- 77: Sunset Strip: Relating to an American TV show from the 1950s and 60s.
- 80: Gandhi’s Breakfast: When Gandhi went on one of his notorious fasts he literally ‘eight nothing’.
- 86: Between the Sticks: Not only does this rhyme, it has a loose reference to a goalkeeper standing between the posts in a football match.
Once you are used to the bingo calls you will instantly know what the number is before it is formally announced by the bingo caller. It’s fun and also interesting to learn how these terms relating to bingo numbers came about and that knowledge all adds to the entertainment provided by this great game.