What Does the British Prime Minister Have To Do with Bingo?

Ever been taken to a bingo hall? They used to be a whole other world in the smoking days, you'd wander through the haze of smoke, and see lots of people concentrating on these funny little cards, scribbling on them with a sense of urgency. As it seemed like a sociable environment you may make the unfortunate mistake of talking only to have a whole bunch of heads swing around to you, and the overwhelming sounds of tut-tuts and ssh-shes. The director of the whole show seemed to be talking another language altogether. The first time you go it is hard not just to sit there mesmerized by the whole atmosphere, and wonder what is actually going on.

This person is the revered bingo caller, and if you want to get your bingo bonus you will be hanging on their every word. These bingo callers have been integral to the success of the bingo halls, so much so that someone even created a bingo caller of the year award, would you believe. Nowadays with online bingo there is less importance attached to this phenomenon but luckily there are some sites which have converted this online for nostalgic and full sensory reasons! They use professional actors and actresses choosing tones of voices which will enhance the online bingo experience. It keeps the tradition alive and for newcomers gives them a fuller experience of how it used to be, although they have to learn a bit of bingo lingo while waiting to get their free bingo bonus.

Some of these are based on the shape of the numbers and some are based on rhyming slang like the Cockney rhyming slang, from the East End of London. But there are some which need more explanation. Kelly's Eye, which is number one, can be traced back to a variation of bingo which became popular as a British army game, apparently the only gambling game allowed in the army. Although we don't know who Kelly actually is. The number nine, which is Doctor's Orders is also from the army days, when a pill known as Number 9 was given out by doctors as a laxative.

The number ten is a funny one as this changes according to which British Prime Minister is residing at no. 10 Downing Street at the time. Tony's Den refers to what the Brits just call Number 10 meaning the house of the Prime Minister. Then we have the Dancing Queen, which is easy for any Abba Fans, young and sweet, only Seventeen. For the next one you would need to know your Bible quite well – The Lord is My Shepherd – is number twenty three as it is the psalm 23. Would you have the faintest notion what number would be Bed and Breakfast, I certainly wouldn't. It is apparently number twenty six as this was the traditional price in Britain, two shillings and six pence for a bed and breakfast. Or another very British meaning, is the number thirty three for all the trees in Sherwood Forest where Robin Hood used to be. 33 is Sherwood Forest. As you can see it could take a bit of learning, but it is a lot of fun this bingo lingo.

A Newbie's Experience Of Bingo Lingo

Imagine training to be a bingo host it would be like having to learn a new language because of all of the bingo lingo. You need to be someone with a big personality to do the job well, and if you have never ventured into a bingo hall before you can become completely mesmerised with these short phrases which can seem very strange indeed.

It is a great tradition amongst the players who love the game and in many cases has not moved onto the online medium although some of the best bingo sites have kept the tradition. The idea behind it was to make the numbers much clearer in the environment, and still today talking is not well tolerated amongst the majority of players during a draw as to miss a number call can mean losing a prize.

When playing online the noise factor of course is different and on the best bingo sites you have a wealth of visual aids however the tradition is inherent to those who played in the halls. Also online the numbers are automatically daubed on your cards whereas in the halls you had to pay attention to mark off your numbers as they were called out.

There is a nostalgic feel for veteran players if they can find these best bingo bonus sites which integrate the bingo lingo for them. To make the whole experience as authentic as possible these sites are getting bingo callers to record their calls to be used online. The beauty of this is that as we are no longer relying on the physical presence of the caller there is a vast choice of actors and actresses also who can be used who have different voices and accents, all of this bringing a richness and live quality to the online game.

What would you think if someone said Kelly's eye to you? First of all you would think who is Kelly, unless of course you know someone by this name, and wonder if her eye was ok. Actually this means the number one in this strange, yet enticing lingo. Or if there was mention of a Knock at the Door, well most of us would want to go and see who is at the front door, but the in-crowd know that this means number four. Tony's Den sounds like a dodgy place where some of the Eastend hoods might get together, but innocently enough it is only the number ten!

We won't give any prizes if you can guess the next one, as even a non player of the game with a little common sense may know what number is signified by the call Unlucky for Some. Yes, you got it right, it is indeed number thirteen. Which happens to rhyme with Sweet Sixteen which is another obvious one so we all know that as funny as the lingo is there is a good chance that will be the number sixteen. This one can bring back memories to many of us players and non-players alike, Goodbye-Teens. You remember departing for na-na-na nineteen into what used to be the distant twenties. So again a bit of logic here with this bingo call for nineteen. These are a few examples of what you can experience at some of the most integrated best bingo sites.