Bingo calling is a time-honoured tradition in the UK and the 888 Ladies know only too well how important it is to maintain this tradition! Bingo became popular in the 1950’s, and bingo enthusiasts were determined to make the games fun, even if they didn’t win. And so, the bizarre bingo calls became a way of life in traditional bingo halls. Many of the calls have logical backgrounds, some just rhyme nicely, some are mathematical and then there’s the completely baffling.
Here’s a breakdown of Bingo Lingo from the boring to the bizarre. Eyes down everyone!
Famous calls: Some of the more well-known calls are 11 (legs eleven!), 88 (Two fat ladies, so called because the number 8 resembles a shapely lady!) and for 22 (two little ducks), the number two looks like a swan, thus 22 is two little ducks. You will often hear ‘quack quack’ noises coming from around the bingo hall when this is called!
Traditionally British: Number 3 (cup of tea), Number 10 (currently Gordon’s Den) this number refers to No.10 Downing Street, which is the Prime Minister’s Residence, and will change according to who is elected. Number 59 (Brighton Line) - simply because the bus from London to Brighton was the no.59
Calls with a history: Number 9 (Doctor’s orders); During World War II, there was a laxative pill known as “Number 9”. Number 26 is known as “Bed and Breakfast” since the cost of a night at a B&B was commonly two shillings and sixpence.
Age Calls: 16 (Sweet sixteen); 19 (Goodbye teens: Since this is the last ‘teen’ age), 30 (Flirty thirty), 40 (Naughty forty) and 65 (Old Age Pension; since 65 is the usual age for retirement in the UK)
Standard Calls: The most common calls tend to be pretty boring these days, i.e. 46 four and six, forty-six. Traditional calls tend to have died out in bingo halls due to disputes over when the right time to call is; is it during the bingo call (“Two fat ladies”!) or during the actual number (“eighty-eight”).
Online Bingo has brought some of the fun back to bingo by reintroducing bingo calls into the games. But at 888 Ladies, it’s Bingo Lingo- with a twist! The old bingo calls have been updated and are all relevant to today, including celebrities such as J-Lo’s bum (21), Jack Bauer (24), Amy’s Beehive (85; As in the Jazz singer Amy Winehouse).
As you can tell things have changed a bit, with several expensive brands featuring on the list as well. For example: Number 2 (Jimmy Choo), Number 33 (D&G), Number 47 (Swavorksi Diamond Heaven) and 76 (Harvey Nics). There’s a fair few lifestyle changes coming out in the list as well (Number 30- Bring out the Botox; Number 41- Facebook Fun) which shows just how things have changed over the years.
They’re only a bit of fun, but bingo calls add a little bit of humour to the games and no doubt with sites continuing to update them, they will continue to draw in the younger bingo generation. This is good news for 888 Ladies, since they just make the game even more enjoyable and liven up the online bingo experience for everyone!
