Bingo Lingo

Whilst online bingo is growing in popularity and electronic machines using the most up to date bingo software illuminate the numbers drawn on cinema size screens in great bingo emporiums across the nation, the charming art of ‘bingo lingo’ remains  an entertaining part of the game. Many of the numbers have nicknames, which are displayed with them, sometimes by way of re-affirming which number has been drawn.

The nickname typically refers to a rhyming, cultural or visual reference connected to the number in some way.

For instance number 1 is habitually referred to as Kelly’s Eye, which is a reference to one-eyed Australian gangster Ned Kelly and number 22 is referred to as two little ducks since the number two could be considered to look like a swan. In church halls and community centres across the country the cry of ‘legs eleven’ can  be heard, to which the game players often respond with a wolf whistle!

Here are some of the aliases commonly referred to during a game of bingo:-

1.Kelly's EyeAl the...
11. Legs eleven.
13. Unlucky for some
16. Sweet sixteen; never been kissed.
21. Key of the door.
22. Two little ducks
44. Droopy drawers.
55. Snakes alive.
57. Heinz varieties
66. Clickety-click.
77. Sunset strip
88. Two fat ladies.ind....
10. Tony's Den
50. Bullseye
60. Three score
70. Three score and ten.
90. Top of the shop.

Some numbers have more than one nickname for example 66 could be ‘clickety-click’ or could also be referred to as ‘all the sixes’ or number 10 can be referred to as ‘Gordon's' Den’ or ‘Cock and Hen’ or even ‘Big Ben’. Single digits are usually referred to as being on their own i.e. “on its own - number 4” and multiples of ten are referred to as being blind! For example – “Five-Oh, blind 50”.

As the modernisation of bingo increases, no doubt bingo's most endearing feature will remain an integral part of the game and much of the lingo has been carried over to online bingo games.

4th June 2008