House!
Usually I hate bingo.
Doing the work that I do I've been to lots of bingo games. Whenever someone suggests that going to the Gala might be fun and would I like to go I usually respond with my anti-bingo rant..
"Bingo! No way! That's not fun! It's like the worst kind of factory work. You have to concentrate and be quiet and you have no chance of winning cos everyone else there is an expert playing 30 cards at once."
But I had a really good time supporting E at his regular bingo game at the West Ham over 50's luncheon club today. I enjoyed it partly because E loves it so much and his enjoyment was infectious (and he won big today, lucky man) but mostly because the regular caller was off and his stand in used loads of bingo caller slang
I knew quite a few of them from long ago formed memories from holiday camp bingo halls but there were a few that were new to me. The other interesting thing was how a lot of the slang calls had this call and response thing going on with the punters. For example, when the caller said "on it's own, kelly's eye, number one" that was already familiar to me* but then one of the players would call out "spit in it".
Here is a list of all of the ones I heard used today, some familiar and some new to me.
What the caller said is in bold and what the punters said isn't.
1 on it's own, kelly's eye, number 1 spit in it
9 doctor's chum**, number 9
10 Tony's den, number 10 not for much longer
11 all the ones, legs 11 *wolf whistle* someone's got their right teeth in
12 1 and 2, one doz
13 unlucky for some, 13
16 1 and 6, sweet sixteen
20 two-oh, blind 20
21 key of the door, 21
22 2 little ducks quack quack thank you quackers
26 2 and 6, half a crown
27 2 and 7, a duck and a crutch
30 three-oh, blind thirty
33 all the threes, dirty knees scrub 'em
40 four-oh, blind forty
44 all the fours, droopy drawers get some elastic
49 evenin' all, 49
50 five-oh, blind 50
59 5 and 9, Brighton line woo-o-woo
60 six-oh, blind 60
66 all the sixes, clickety click
69 any way up, 69
70 seven-oh, blind 70
76 7 and 6, am I worth it? of course you are
77 all the sevens, 77 sunset strip thank you strippers
80 eight-oh, blind 80
88 2 fat ladies, 88***wobble, wobble
89 8 and 9, almost but
90 top of the shop, blind 90
I pretty much know what they all mean*, do you. Do you know any others? (no cheating by looking them up)
* Though I have no idea who Kelly was and why s/he had only one eye
** yes, really, she said chum not orders
*** At Nolose last year, there was bingo (competently organised and called by cristy74, wasn't it?) and I naively assumed bingo slang to be universal and made a number 88 joke that no-one understood. Then I was further disappointed that the bingo cards only went up to 80 rendering my joke even more obscure and pointless.
Doing the work that I do I've been to lots of bingo games. Whenever someone suggests that going to the Gala might be fun and would I like to go I usually respond with my anti-bingo rant..
"Bingo! No way! That's not fun! It's like the worst kind of factory work. You have to concentrate and be quiet and you have no chance of winning cos everyone else there is an expert playing 30 cards at once."
But I had a really good time supporting E at his regular bingo game at the West Ham over 50's luncheon club today. I enjoyed it partly because E loves it so much and his enjoyment was infectious (and he won big today, lucky man) but mostly because the regular caller was off and his stand in used loads of bingo caller slang
I knew quite a few of them from long ago formed memories from holiday camp bingo halls but there were a few that were new to me. The other interesting thing was how a lot of the slang calls had this call and response thing going on with the punters. For example, when the caller said "on it's own, kelly's eye, number one" that was already familiar to me* but then one of the players would call out "spit in it".
Here is a list of all of the ones I heard used today, some familiar and some new to me.
What the caller said is in bold and what the punters said isn't.
1 on it's own, kelly's eye, number 1 spit in it
9 doctor's chum**, number 9
10 Tony's den, number 10 not for much longer
11 all the ones, legs 11 *wolf whistle* someone's got their right teeth in
12 1 and 2, one doz
13 unlucky for some, 13
16 1 and 6, sweet sixteen
20 two-oh, blind 20
21 key of the door, 21
22 2 little ducks quack quack thank you quackers
26 2 and 6, half a crown
27 2 and 7, a duck and a crutch
30 three-oh, blind thirty
33 all the threes, dirty knees scrub 'em
40 four-oh, blind forty
44 all the fours, droopy drawers get some elastic
49 evenin' all, 49
50 five-oh, blind 50
59 5 and 9, Brighton line woo-o-woo
60 six-oh, blind 60
66 all the sixes, clickety click
69 any way up, 69
70 seven-oh, blind 70
76 7 and 6, am I worth it? of course you are
77 all the sevens, 77 sunset strip thank you strippers
80 eight-oh, blind 80
88 2 fat ladies, 88***wobble, wobble
89 8 and 9, almost but
90 top of the shop, blind 90
I pretty much know what they all mean*, do you. Do you know any others? (no cheating by looking them up)
* Though I have no idea who Kelly was and why s/he had only one eye
** yes, really, she said chum not orders
*** At Nolose last year, there was bingo (competently organised and called by cristy74, wasn't it?) and I naively assumed bingo slang to be universal and made a number 88 joke that no-one understood. Then I was further disappointed that the bingo cards only went up to 80 rendering my joke even more obscure and pointless.