Bingo call names from 1 to 90
In British bingo halls, callers have used rhyming nicknames for numbers for generations. Some rhyme ("Garden gate, 8"), some describe the shape of the digits ("Two little ducks, 22"), and some are old jokes or references nobody can quite explain any more. Here is the full list our 90-ball bingo caller uses.
| 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 |
| 31 | Get up and run |
| 32 | Buckle my shoe |
| 33 | Dirty knee |
| 34 | Ask for more |
| 35 | Jump and jive |
| 36 | Three dozen |
| 37 | More than eleven |
| 38 | Christmas cake |
| 39 | Thirty-nine 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 | P.C. |
| 50 | Half a century |
| 51 | Tweak of the thumb |
| 52 | Chicken vindaloo |
| 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 |
| 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 | Candy store |
| 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 |
Why do bingo callers use nicknames?
Call names make numbers easier to hear in a noisy hall: "six" and "sixty" are easy to mix up, but "Half a dozen" and "Five dozen" are not. Callers usually say the nickname, then the digits, then the number: "Legs eleven, one and one, eleven."
Hear them called
Open the 90-ball caller and switch on Traditional call names in the voice settings. Every ball will be announced with its classic call.