Bingo Lingo

UK Bingo has its own language with nicknames that are traditionally used for each number from 1 to 90. There are regional variations throughout the UK, and many numbers have more than one nickname.

Some of these nicknames are very simple, such as ‘Four and Nine’: 49. Other nicknames are more obscure, such as ‘Pick and Mix’: 26. The nickname will often rhyme with the number, for example ‘Tom’s Tricks’: 6. Some nicknames do not rhyme but have a logical reason behind them. Some even have a biblical background. An example of this is ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’: 23.This number is named after Psalm 23 in the Bible.

Some numbers have both a rhyming nickname and a more logical one. The number eight for example, can be referred to as both ‘Garden Gate’ (which rhymes) and ‘One Fat Lady’ (because the shape looks like two halves of a large woman). Some prefer the more reasoned nicknames, such as ‘Kelly’s Eye’ for number one (so called because of the one eyed Australian gangster Ned Kelly) because they are unique and easier to remember. Rhyming nicknames can be difficult to remember. For example, ‘Duck and Dive’ represents 25 but just as easily rhymes with 35. Our bingo lingo list covers some of the most commonly used lingo for numbers called in UK bingo.

For other offline and online bingo terms, you can read our bingo glossary. For explanations of commonly used bingo chat abbreviations in online bingo chat and our online bingo chat games, please visit the bingo chat jargon section.

1 Kelly's Eye / At the Beginning
2 One Little Duck / Me and You – So called because the number 2 is a swan-like shape.
3 Cup of tea / You and Me
4 Knock at the Door
5 Man Alive
6 Tom's tricks / Tom Nix
7 Lucky Seven / God's in Heaven
8 One Fat Lady / Golden Gate/ Garden Gate
9 Doctor's Orders – In World War 2 the British pill “Number 9” was a laxative.
10 Tony's Den. Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street (changes with each Prime Minister).
11 Legs Eleven
12 One Dozen
13 Unlucky for Some / Devil's Number/ Baker’s Dozen
14 Valentines Day
15 Young and keen / Rugby Team
16 Sweet Sixteen / She's Lovely
17 Dancing Queen / Often been Kissed
18 Coming of Age
19 Goodbye Teens
20 One Score/ Blind 20
21 Key of the Door
22 Two Little Ducks / All the Twos
23 Thee and Me / The Lord is my Shepherd
24 Two dozen
25 Duck and Dive
26 Pick and Mix/Half a crown/Bed and Breakfast – The cost of a night’s lodgings and breakfast was traditionally 2 shillings and sixpence, or two and six.
27 Gateway to Heaven / Little duck with a Crutch
28 Over Weight / In a State
29 You're doing Fine/ Rise and Shine
30 Burlington Bertie / Dirty Gertie / Speed Limit / Flirty thirty / Blind 30
31 Get up and Run
32 Buckle my Shoe
33 Dirty Knees / All the Threes / All the Feathers / Two Little Fleas / Sherwood Forest
34 Ask for More
35 Jump and Jive
36 Three Dozen
37 A Flea in Heaven / More than Eleven
38 Christmas Cake
39 Those Famous Steps / Steps
40 Naughty Forty
41 Time for Fun
42 Winnie the Pooh/ Famous Street in Manhatten
43 Down on your Knees
44 Droopy Drawers / All the Fours
45 Halfway There / Halfway House
46 Up to Tricks
47 Four and Seven
48 Four Dozen
49 P.C. / Copper / Nick Nick
50 Half a Century/ Bulls Eye / Blind 50
51 Tweak of the Thumb
52 Danny La Rue/ Weeks in a Year
53 Stuck in the Tree
54 Clean the Floor
55 Snakes Alive / All the Fives
56 Was she worth it?
57 Heinz Varieties
58 Make them Wait / Choo choo Thomas
59 Brighton Line – The London to Brighton bus service was the number 59.
60 Five Dozen /Three Score / Blind 60
61 Bakers Bun
62 Turn on the Screw / Tickety Boo
63 Tickle Me
64 Red Raw / The Beatles’ Number
65 Old Age Pension – The age of retirement (when a pension can be claimed) for men in the UK.
66 Clickety Click / All the Sixes
67 Made in Heaven / Argumentative Number
68 Saving Grace
69 Either Way Up /The Same Both Ways / Your Place or Mine / Meal for Two
70 Three Score and Ten / Blind 70
71 Bang on the Drum
72 Six Dozen / A Crutch and a Duck / Par for the Course
73 Crutch and a flea / Queen B
74 Candy Store
75 Strive and Strive
76 Trombones /Was She Worth It – The cost of a wedding license used to be 7 shillings and sixpence.
77 Sunset Strip / All the Sevens / Two Little Crutches
78 Heavens Gate
79 One More Time
80 Eight and Blank/Blind 80/Gandhi's Breakfast – Imagine looking down at Gandhi sitting cross legged in front of a large empty plate.
81 Stop and Run
82 Straight on Through/ Fat lady with a Duck
83 Time for Tea / Ethel's Ear – The eight is a fat lady shape and the three is an ear shape.
84 Seven Dozen
85 Staying Alive
86 Between the Sticks
87 Torquay in Devon/ Fat lady with a Crutch
88 Two fat ladies / All the Eights
89 Nearly there / All but One
90 Top of the Shop / Top of the House / Blind 90 / End of the Line