As you may have guessed, Unlucky for Some (the name of our website) is one of the most famous bingo phrases used around the UK by bingo callers. Listed below are all the commonly used phrases together with explanations of some of the more obscure ones.

These strange but meaningful names mostly originate from the East End of London, especially its rhyming slang. Others come from the shape of the number itself and some have a historic meaning. A few are a bit rude – see if you can spot them! We have also included some of the more modern calls which are beginning to take the place of their traditional counterparts.

1. Kelly’s eye – (At the beginning / Nelson’s column / Bingo baby)
   Kelly’s eye named after the Australian gangster Ned Kelly who had only one eye.
   
2. One little duck – (Me and you / Doctor Who / Little boy blue)
   One little duck based upon the shape of the number – it looks like the neck of a swan.
   
3. Cup of tea – (You and me / One little flea / I’m free / Debbie McGee)
   
4. Knock at the door – (Bobby Moore)
   
5. Man alive – (One little snake)
   
6. Tom mix – (Tom’s tricks / Chopsticks)
   
7. Lucky seven – (God’s in heaven / One little crutch / David Beckham)
   
8. One fat lady – (Garden gate / Golden gate / Gareth Gates)
   
9. Doctor’s orders
   Originates from the British Army – in WW1  a pill known as number 9 was given out as a laxative by army doctors!
   
10. Tony’s den
    No doubt now will change to Gordon’s den as it refers to the current Prime Minister.
    
11. Legs Eleven
    
12. One dozen – (One and two / Monkey’s cousin)
    
13. Unlucky for some – (Devil’s number / Bakers dozen)
    
14. Valentines day
    
15. Young and keen – (Rugby team / Stroppy teen)
    
16. Sweet Sixteen – (She’s lovely / Never been kissed)
    
17. Dancing queen – (Often been kissed)
    Dancing queen from the Abba song ‘young and sweet, only seventeen’.
    
18. Coming of age
    
19. Goodbye teens
    
20. One score – (Getting plenty / Blind 20)
    
21. Key of the door
    
22. Two little ducks – (All the twos / Quack Quack)
    
23. Thee and me – (The Lord is my Shepherd)
    The Lord is my Shepherd refers to Psalm 23 in the Bible.
    
24. Two dozen
    
25. Duck and dive
    
26. Pick and mix – (Bed and breakfast / Half a crown)
    Bed and breakfast – the traditional price of bed and breakfast accommodation many years ago was 2 shillings and 6 pence (the equivalent of half a crown).
    
27. Gateway to heaven – (Little duck with a crutch)
    The number 7 looks like a crutch.
    
28. Over weight – (In a state / Duck and its mate)
    
29. Rise and Shine – (You're doing fine / In your prime)
    
30. Dirty Gertie – (Burlington Bertie / Speed limit / Flirty thirty / Blind 30)
    Burlington Bertie is racing slang – odds of 100-30 on the racing circuit.
    
31. Get up and run
    
32. Buckle my Shoe – (Jimmy Choo)
    
33. Dirty knees - (All the threes / Two little fleas / All the feathers / Sherwood Forest)
    Sherwood Forest – ‘all the trees’
    
34. Ask for more
    
35. Jump and jive
    
36. Three dozen
    
37. More than Eleven – (A flea in heaven)
    
38. Christmas cake
    
39. Those famous steps
    From the classic spy novel and film ‘The 39 Steps’.
    
40. Naughty Forty – (Life begins at / Two score)
    
41. Time for fun – (Life’s begun)
    
42. Whinny the Pooh
    
43. Down on your knees
    
44. Droopy drawers – (All the fours)
    
45. Halfway there – (Halfway house)
    
46. Up to tricks
    
47. Four and seven
    
48. Four dozen
    
49. PC (Police Constable) – (Copper / Nick nick)
    PC 49 was a well known radio police show in the 40s and 50s.
    
50. Half a century  - (Bulls eye / Blind 50)
    
51. Tweak of the thumb
    
52. Danny La Rue – (Weeks in a year / Pack of cards)
    
53. Stuck in the tree – (feng shui)
    
54. Clean the floor
    
55. Snakes alive – (All the fives)
    
56. Was she worth it?
    
57. Heinz varieties
    Heinz (who make baked beans) historically made 57 varieties of products.
    
58. Make them wait – (Choo choo Thomas)
    
59. Brighton line
    The London to Brighton bus service was the number 59.
    
60. Five dozen – (Three score / Blind 60)
    
61. Bakers bun
    
62. Turn on the screw – (Tickety boo)
    
63. Tickle me
    
64. Red raw – (The Beatles)
    The Beatles is from the well-known song ‘When I’m Sixty Four’ and is often sung by players when the number is called out.
    
65. Old age pension
66. Clickety click – (All the sixes)
67. Made in heaven
    
68. Saving grace
    
69. Either way up – (The same both ways / Your place or mine / Meal for two)
    
70. Three score and ten – (Blind 70)
    
71. Bang on the drum – (J-Lo’s bum)
    
72. Six dozen – (A crutch and a duck / Par for the course)
    
73. Queen B – (Crutch and a flea)
    
74. Candy store
    
75. Strive and strive – (On the skive)
    
76. Trombones – (Was she worth it?)
    A musical piece called ’76 trombones’ is commonly played at parades. Was she worth it? – a wedding licence used to cost 7 shillings and 6 pence.
    
77. Sunset strip – (All the sevens / Two little crutches)
    
78. Heavens gate
    
79. One more time
    
80. Eight and blank – (Gandhi's breakfast / Blind 80)
    Gandhi’s breakfast refers to his protest fast ‘Eight Nothing’ or ‘Ate Nothing’
    
81. Stop and run – (Fat lady and a little wee)
    
82. Straight on through – (Fat lady with a duck)
    
83. Time for tea – (Fat lady with a flea / Ethel's Ear)
    
84. Seven dozen
    
85. Staying alive
    
86. Between the sticks
    
87. Torquay in Devon – (Fat lady with a crutch)
    
88. Two fat ladies – (All the eights / Wobbly Wobbly)
    
89. Nearly there – (All but one)
    
90. Top of the shop – (Top of the house / Blind 90 / End of the line)