Bingo calls
Every number in bingo has a nickname: a rhyme, a joke or a picture the digits make. Here is the full list of traditional bingo calls from 1 to 90, where the best-known ones come from, and a call sheet you can print.
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The most famous bingo calls
- 1 Kelly’s eye Often said to be the eye slot in outlaw Ned Kelly’s helmet.
- 11 Legs eleven The two 1s look like a pair of legs; players often wolf-whistle back.
- 22 Two little ducks Two 2s side by side, like ducks; players often answer “quack quack”.
- 66 Clickety click A rhyme for six, six.
- 88 Two fat ladies Each 8 looks like a lady with a full figure; players often answer “wobble wobble”.
- 90 Top of the shop The highest number in 90-ball bingo.
Bingo calls from 1 to 90
In a 75-ball game you only need 1 to 75. Calls vary from hall to hall, and where two are popular we give both.
Bingo calls 1 to 10
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly’s eye | Often said to be the eye slot in outlaw Ned Kelly’s helmet. |
| 2 | One little duck | The 2 looks like a duck on the water. |
| 3 | Cup of tea | |
| 4 | Knock at the door | |
| 5 | Man alive | |
| 6 | Half a dozen | Also “Tom Mix”, after the cowboy film star. |
| 7 | Lucky seven | |
| 8 | Garden gate | |
| 9 | Doctor’s orders | Said to come from the “number 9” pill army doctors handed out. |
| 10 | Cock and hen | Also named after whoever lives at Number 10 Downing Street. |
Bingo calls 11 to 20
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Legs eleven | The two 1s look like a pair of legs; players often wolf-whistle back. |
| 12 | One dozen | |
| 13 | Unlucky for some | |
| 14 | Valentine’s Day | February 14. |
| 15 | Young and keen | |
| 16 | Sweet sixteen | |
| 17 | Dancing queen | From the ABBA song: “young and sweet, only seventeen”. |
| 18 | Coming of age | |
| 19 | Goodbye teens | |
| 20 | One score |
Bingo calls 21 to 30
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Key of the door | Once the age you were given your own key. |
| 22 | Two little ducks | Two 2s side by side, like ducks; players often answer “quack quack”. |
| 23 | Thee and me | |
| 24 | Two dozen | |
| 25 | Duck and dive | |
| 26 | Pick and mix | |
| 27 | Gateway to heaven | |
| 28 | In a state | Also “overweight”. |
| 29 | Rise and shine | |
| 30 | Dirty Gertie |
Bingo calls 31 to 40
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Get up and run | |
| 32 | Buckle my shoe | From the rhyme “One, two, buckle my shoe”. |
| 33 | All the threes | Also “dirty knees”. |
| 34 | Ask for more | |
| 35 | Jump and jive | |
| 36 | Three dozen | |
| 37 | More than eleven | |
| 38 | Christmas cake | |
| 39 | Steps | From the film The 39 Steps. |
| 40 | Naughty forty |
Bingo calls 41 to 50
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Time for fun | |
| 42 | Winnie the Pooh | |
| 43 | Down on your knees | |
| 44 | Droopy drawers | |
| 45 | Halfway there | Halfway to 90. |
| 46 | Up to tricks | |
| 47 | Four and seven | |
| 48 | Four dozen | |
| 49 | PC | Police Constable 49, from the old radio show The Adventures of PC 49. |
| 50 | Half a century |
Bingo calls 51 to 60
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Tweak of the thumb | |
| 52 | Deck of cards | A pack has 52 cards. Also “Danny La Rue”. |
| 53 | Stuck in the tree | Also “Here comes Herbie”, the Beetle car numbered 53 in the films. |
| 54 | Clean the floor | |
| 55 | Snakes alive | The two 5s look like snakes. |
| 56 | Was she worth it? | A marriage licence was once said to cost five shillings and sixpence. |
| 57 | Heinz varieties | From the “57 varieties” on Heinz labels. |
| 58 | Make them wait | |
| 59 | Brighton line | |
| 60 | Five dozen |
Bingo calls 61 to 70
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | Baker’s bun | |
| 62 | Tickety-boo | |
| 63 | Tickle me | |
| 64 | Red raw | |
| 65 | Old age pension | Once the age a pension started in the UK. |
| 66 | Clickety click | A rhyme for six, six. |
| 67 | Stairway to heaven | |
| 68 | Saving grace | |
| 69 | Either way up | It reads the same upside down. Also “any way up”. |
| 70 | Three score and ten | Seventy years, the lifetime in the Bible. |
Bingo calls 71 to 80
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | Bang on the drum | |
| 72 | Six dozen | |
| 73 | Queen bee | |
| 74 | Hit the floor | Also “candy store”. |
| 75 | Strive and strive | The last number in 75-ball bingo. |
| 76 | Trombones | From “76 Trombones”, the song in The Music Man. |
| 77 | Sunset strip | From the TV show 77 Sunset Strip. |
| 78 | Heaven’s gate | Also “39 more steps”: 39 and 39 make 78. |
| 79 | One more time | |
| 80 | Eight and blank |
Bingo calls 81 to 90
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Each 8 looks like a lady with a full figure; players often answer “wobble wobble”. |
| 89 | Nearly there | |
| 90 | Top of the shop | The highest number in 90-ball bingo. |
Where bingo calls come from
Calls grew up in British bingo halls, and before that in the army game of housie-housie, where a caller kept a big room listening by making every number memorable. Many are simple rhymes (“cup of tea”, “Torquay in Devon”). Others draw a picture with the digits: 11 looks like a pair of legs, 22 like two ducks on a pond and 88 like two ladies with full figures. Some come from history, songs and films, such as “Heinz varieties” for 57 or “Winnie the Pooh” for 42.
Calls are also a game in themselves. In many halls the players answer back: a wolf whistle for legs eleven, “quack quack” for 22, and “wobble wobble” for two fat ladies.
Calls in American 75-ball bingo
In the US and Canada, callers usually say the letter and the number, such as “B 7” or “O 69”, so players can find the column fast. Nicknames are a fun extra on top. Our online bingo caller does both: a recorded voice says the letter and number, and the traditional call is written under each ball.
How to call bingo like a pro
- Say it twice. Letter and number, then the nickname or the number again: “N 31. Get up and run, 31.”
- Keep a steady pace. Leave a few seconds between numbers so everyone can find and mark them. Slow down for children and seniors.
- Show the numbers. A board on a TV or projector lets players catch up if they miss a call. The caller shows the last ball, the five before it and every number called.
- Stop when someone shouts. Check the card before you carry on. See how to play bingo for the rules.
Make up your own calls
Local jokes and family nicknames make a bingo night your own: the year someone was born, a house number or a team’s shirt number. For a festive night, see our Christmas bingo calls.
Bingo calls questions
What are bingo calls?
Nicknames for the numbers, also called bingo lingo or bingo sayings, such as “legs eleven” for 11 and “two fat ladies” for 88. The caller says them along with the number to make the game easier to follow and more fun.
What is the bingo call for 1?
Kelly’s eye. It is often said to refer to the eye slot in the armour of the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly.
Why is 88 called two fat ladies?
Each 8 looks like a woman with a full figure, so 88 looks like two of them standing side by side. Players in many halls answer “wobble wobble”.
What is the bingo call for 90?
Top of the shop, because 90 is the highest number in 90-ball bingo.
Do American bingo callers use nicknames?
Less often. In 75-ball bingo the caller usually says the column letter and the number, like “G 52”. Nicknames come from British 90-ball bingo, but many callers add them for fun.
Can I print the list of bingo calls?
Yes. Download the call list as a PDF from the top of this page, along with tick-off call sheets for 75-ball and 90-ball games.