Bingo Calls: The Full List of Traditional Calls from 1 to 90
Kelly's eye, legs eleven, two fat ladies: bingo calls are a little piece of British culture. Here is where they come from, plus the full list from 1 to 90.
Where bingo calls come from
Bingo calls, often called bingo lingo, grew up in the halls and clubs where the game was played. Callers needed a way to make each number clear across a noisy room, and a rhyme or a nickname made numbers easier to hear and harder to mishear. Over time, the calls became part of the entertainment.
Many come from rhymes: "legs eleven", "clickety-click" for 66. Others come from the shape of the numbers, like "two little ducks" for 22, or from everyday life and history. The game itself was popular in the armed forces under the name housey-housey long before commercial bingo halls spread across Britain in the 1960s.
The best-known calls
| Number | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly's eye | Its origin is debated; one popular story links it to Ned Kelly's helmet |
| 2 | One little duck | The 2 looks like a duck |
| 11 | Legs eleven | The two ones look like a pair of legs |
| 13 | Unlucky for some | Thirteen's unlucky reputation |
| 21 | Key of the door | Twenty-one was the traditional age of coming of age |
| 22 | Two little ducks | Two 2s look like a pair of ducks |
| 66 | Clickety-click | It rhymes |
| 88 | Two fat ladies | The two 8s look like two figures side by side |
| 90 | Top of the shop | The highest number in 90-ball bingo |
The full list from 1 to 90
Here's the full list of traditional calls. Some numbers have more than one, and callers often add their own.
| Number | Traditional 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 | Downing Street (the PM's den) |
| 11 | Legs eleven |
| 12 | One dozen |
| 13 | Unlucky for some |
| 14 | Valentine's Day |
| 15 | Young and keen |
| Number | Traditional call |
|---|---|
| 16 | Sweet sixteen |
| 17 | Often been kissed |
| 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 | Overweight |
| 29 | Rise and shine |
| 30 | Dirty Gertie |
| Number | Traditional call |
|---|---|
| 31 | Get up and run |
| 32 | Buckle my shoe |
| 33 | All the threes |
| 34 | Ask for more |
| 35 | Jump and jive |
| 36 | Three dozen |
| 37 | More than eleven |
| 38 | Christmas cake |
| 39 | Steps (thirty-nine steps) |
| 40 | Naughty forty |
| 41 | Time for fun |
| 42 | Four and two, all for you |
| 43 | Down on your knees |
| 44 | Droopy drawers |
| 45 | Halfway there |
| Number | Traditional call |
|---|---|
| 46 | Up to tricks |
| 47 | Four and seven |
| 48 | Four dozen |
| 49 | PC (police constable) |
| 50 | Half a century |
| 51 | Tweak of the thumb |
| 52 | Deck of cards |
| 53 | Stuck in a tree |
| 54 | Clean the floor |
| 55 | Snakes alive |
| 56 | Shotts bus |
| 57 | All the beans |
| 58 | Make them wait |
| 59 | Brighton line |
| 60 | Five dozen |
| Number | Traditional call |
|---|---|
| 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 | Hit the floor |
| 75 | Strive and strive |
| Number | Traditional call |
|---|---|
| 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 | Keep the dream alive |
| 86 | Between the sticks |
| 87 | Torquay in Devon |
| 88 | Two fat ladies |
| 89 | Nearly there |
| 90 | Top of the shop |
Bingo calls online today
In online bingo the numbers are drawn by a random number generator and marked automatically, so nobody needs to hear the call to keep up. Many sites still show or play the traditional calls, and chat hosts often use them in chat games. It's one of the things that gives online bingo the feel of a hall.
New to the game? Start with how to play online bingo, then read about 90-ball bingo, the format the traditional calls were made for. When you're ready to play, our bingo hub compares the welcome offers from our featured brands.
Keep it fun
Set a budget before you play, never chase losses and take regular breaks. Gambling should never be a way to make money. Free, confidential help is available from GamCare or the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
