Bingo Lingo: 50 Terms Every Player Should Know
Walk into a proper bingo hall and you'll hear a language unto itself. "Two fat ladies!" "Legs eleven!" "Clickety-click!" If you're new to bingo — or just want to sound like a veteran — here are 50 terms, calls, and phrases that define the culture.
Essential Game Terms
- Eyes down — Caller's signal that the game is starting; stop talking and focus on your card
- Dabber / Dauber — The ink marker used to mark numbers on a physical card
- Full house — All numbers on a card marked (UK term); called "blackout" or "coverall" in the US
- Line — Completing one horizontal row on a 90-ball card; often an intermediate prize
- Two lines — Completing two rows; another intermediate prize tier in 90-ball bingo
- Caller — The person drawing and announcing numbers
- Board — The electronic display showing called numbers
- Session — A scheduled block of bingo games
- Flyer — A single-game ticket sold separately from the main session
- Strip — A set of six 90-ball tickets containing all 90 numbers between them
Classic British Bingo Calls (Numbers 1–30)
British bingo calls are a rhyming slang tradition. Here are the most beloved:
- 1 — Kelly's eye (or "at the beginning, number one")
- 2 — One little duck
- 3 — Cup of tea
- 7 — Lucky seven
- 8 — One fat lady (the 8 resembles a figure)
- 9 — Doctor's orders (No. 9 pill was a laxative)
- 11 — Legs eleven
- 13 — Unlucky for some
- 16 — Sweet sixteen
- 21 — Key of the door (coming of age)
- 22 — Two little ducks
- 25 — Duck and dive
- 26 — Pick and mix
Classic British Bingo Calls (Numbers 31–90)
- 33 — Dirty knees (or "all the threes")
- 39 — Steps (39 Steps film)
- 40 — Life begins
- 42 — Winnie the Pooh
- 44 — Droopy drawers
- 45 — Halfway there
- 51 — Tweak of the thumb
- 55 — Snakes alive
- 57 — Heinz varieties
- 60 — Five dozen
- 66 — Clickety click
- 69 — Either way up
- 76 — Trombones (76 Trombones)
- 77 — Sunset strip (77 Sunset Strip)
- 88 — Two fat ladies
- 90 — Top of the shop
Online and Modern Bingo Slang
- 1TG / 2TG — "One to go" / "Two to go" — used in chat to signal near-win status
- GG — Good game
- GL — Good luck
- WDW — Well done winner
- Gratz — Congratulations
- Lurker — A player who watches but rarely chats
- Auto-daub — Software feature that automatically marks your numbers
- Chat host / CH — The person moderating the chat room in online bingo
Winning and Scoring Terms
- Bingo! — The winning shout
- Coverall / Blackout — American term for marking every square
- Pattern win — Winning by completing a specific shape rather than a line
- Jackpot — A top-tier prize, often requiring a win within a certain number of calls
- Hard way bingo — Winning without using the free space
- Postage stamp — Winning pattern: four corners of one quadrant
- Six-pack — A 2x3 block of marked numbers
Now that you speak the language, you're ready to find a card and play — or better yet, create your own custom bingo game with any topic you choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "eyes down" mean in bingo?
"Eyes down" is the traditional phrase callers use to signal that a game is about to begin. It means players should look at their cards and get ready — the first number is coming.
Why do bingo callers use rhyming slang?
The rhymes evolved from Cockney rhyming slang in the early 20th century. Callers started adding them to make numbers more memorable and to keep the pace entertaining — and they stuck because players loved them.
What does "full house" mean in bingo?
A "full house" means a player has marked every number on their card — equivalent to a blackout or coverall in American bingo. It typically carries the highest prize in a bingo session.
What is a "dabber" in bingo?
A dabber (also called a dauber or marker) is the ink-tipped marker used to mark called numbers on a physical bingo card. They come in many colors and are a bingo hall staple.