Bingo Caller says Two Little Ducks? Bingo Numbers 1-90

Bingo Numbers

UK bingo playing is the activity which has become responsible for bingo numbers, the purpose of the calls was initially started as a way to help players remember the numbers better. But they have become an integral part of the bingo scene and are part of the entertainment of the game. The better a bingo caller is, the more fun the players have and in the UK bingo calling is considered to be an art form, much like any other form of entertainment.

Many of these calls are derived from cockney rhyming slang, which does not only take place during calling the bingo numbers. For example a real cockney (Londoner) will call his car a “jam jar” and his wife a “ball-and-chain” even thought that doesn’t rhyme. I am just illustrating a point.

So too in bingo calls you will find, 88 being called two fat ladies, because that is what the numbers symbolize, just as 22 is two little ducks, for the simple reason that 2’s look like little ducks. The number ten is rhyming and represents the Prime Ministers residence which is also number ten, so depending on the prevailing Prime Minister of the time, if 10 is called, it goes “number ten – Tony’s, Maggies, or Gordon’s den” would be called. The number “13 – unlucky for some” is self explanatory.

Rhyming is also quite popular in the US, but because the 75 ball bingo game is played, obviously not as many rhymes are used and they are not cockney slang, as US players would not relate to this. Audience participation is encouraged for some of the calls in both these countries, for example, if “22 – two little ducks” is called, the audience response will be “Quack – Quack”.

Some bingo numbers rhyme with the number while others have a specific meaning associated with the number. For example, the bingo numbers with twelve is a dozen and with thirteen the call can either be unlucky for some or a baker’s dozen which all have a reference to the number itself. Another example is the number forty where the bingo caller can call anything from two score, life begins at, blind forty, and naughty forty. Since most people have traditionally said that forty is over the hill, it only makes sense there is a reference here.

Bingo Caller

There are also times where a bingo number call is more prominent in one country than another. This is because the bingo numbers may make a reference to something that is found in the United States or found in England. For example, when the bingo caller calls the number twenty-three, it means Dr. Pepper. This is a call which is typically only found in the United States and is because there are twenty-three flavors which make up the soft drink. In addition, the number forty-five has a call which is Colt in the United States. This is a reference to the Colt .45 which is a popular type of handgun. In addition, when the bingo caller calls fifty, some might respond with Hawaii Five –O. This is in response to the popular television show by the same name. On the other hand, there are also some sayings which will only be known to those who live in England. One such example is the number fifty-nine. For this particular number, the bingo number call is Brighton line which stands for engine fifty-nine or the fact that it takes fifty-nine minutes to get from London to Brighton. In addition, when the bingo caller calls sixty-five, the proper response is to say old age pension as this is the age in the United Kingdom where you can start drawing a pension.

Once you have it in your mind how the numbers and the bingo number calls relate to each other, then it makes it much easier to try and remember what the proper saying is. While some will rhyme with the number, the others will have very specific meanings attached to them. As a result, you will find yourself catching on much quicker than you ever thought that you would despite the fact that there are a lot of bingo number calls out there for you to try and remember. Be sure to take your time and have fun and before you know it, you will have memorized the entire list from one to ninety.