Bingo Caller

The bingo caller is the head figure at any bingo hall - he or she is the bane of many player's games, but can often be their heroes (if they scoop the big prizes) It is traditional, especially in British bingo halls, for callers to assign ‘nicknames' and nuanced calls to certain numbers. These calls vary across the country, yet there is a specific set that seems to be consistent from hall to hall. An initial ‘call' used to announce the beginning of a new game is simply, ‘Eyes Down' - this alerts players to anticipate the calling of numbers, which often come fairly rapidly, with little time for deliberations. However, there is now a huge set of calls for almost every number, and often players will memorise which calls are used for which numbers in bingo halls up and down the country.

The most common calls are firstly, Kelly's Eye, and he reason for this call is commonly understood to refer to Australian ‘Ned Kelly', who is known, wrongly, to have had only one eye. Then there's One Little Duck which refers to the number two reflecting the shape of a swan or duck. Knock on the Door for number four is relatively straightforward, and Man Alive for number five is similar. One Little Crutch refers again to imagery, and the fact that the number resembles a crutch. Legs 11, for number eleven, is a common phrase in British culture, the number resembles two legs, and is often greeted by tongue in cheek wolf whistles in the bingo halls, as well as yells and cheers. Two Little Ducks, for number twenty-two is often greeted by quacking noises in the bingo halls. Clickety-Click, for sixty-six, is a loose rhyme, and Two Fat Ladies, for eighty eight is perhaps the most popular of the calls. The numbers resemble two fat ladies. There are variations depending on where the game is being played - many calls are unique to specific halls.