What Do Bingo Calls Mean? Answers From Bingotastic's Full 1-90 List
Bingo calls are the nicknames a caller uses for each number, and most British players know a few without ever having learned them. Bingotastic, a UK bingo site running since 2013, publishes the full 1-90 list with the story behind each call where one exists. These are the questions people ask about them most.
Why do bingo callers use nicknames at all?
The calls built up over generations from rhyme, wordplay and shared references. A lot of them are straight rhymes, such as Cup of Tea for 3 or Knock at the Door for 4. Others come from what the digits look like. The 2 in One Little Duck has a duck's neck, and the twin 8s of 88 became Two Fat Ladies.
Where did the stranger ones come from?
Forces slang, old radio, pop music and travel all left a mark.
| Number | Call | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Doctor's Orders | The army doctor's Number 9 pill |
| 10 | The PM's Den | Downing Street, renamed with each new tenant |
| 17 | Dancing Queen | The Abba song |
| 26 | Half a Crown | Pre-decimal money |
| 39 | The Steps | Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps |
| 49 | PC | PC 49, a radio policeman |
| 56 | Shotts Bus | The old 56 route out of Glasgow |
| 59 | Brighton Line | The London to Brighton railway |
| 76 | Was She Worth It | The old 7s 6d price of a wedding licence |
Do players really shout back?
In plenty of rooms, yes. Two Little Ducks for 22 gets a "quack quack", and Legs Eleven tends to draw wolf whistles. Some calls carry a joke on top of a joke: 78 is sometimes called 39 More Steps.
Will I hear these calls at a bingo hall today?
Less often than you'd think. At the big chain clubs, modern sessions are called quickly and plainly, so most of the traditional nicknames go unheard on a typical night.
What's the call for 90?
Top of the Shop, the highest number on a British 90-ball ticket.
Can I print the list for a game at home?
Bingotastic.com has a free printable caller's sheet with the whole list, and a free bingo card generator that handles British 90-ball tickets as well as 30, 75 and 80-ball cards, all as A4 PDFs, with no limit on how many. Between the two, a family or office game needs nothing more than a printer and someone willing to call.