This is a list of British bingo nicknames. In the game of bingo in the United Kingdom, callers announcing the numbers have traditionally used some nicknames to refer to particular numbers if they are drawn. The nicknames are sometimes known by the rhyming phrase 'bingo lingo' and there are rhymes for each number from 1 to 90, some of which date back many decades. In some clubs, the 'bingo caller' will say the number, with the assembled players intoning the rhyme in a call and response manner, in others, the caller will say the rhyme and the players chant the number. In 2003, Butlins holiday camps introduced some more modern calls devised by a Professor of Popular Culture in an attempt to bring fresh interest to bingo.[1][2]
- Slot Machine Legs Man At The Bus Stop Beating
- Slot Machine Legs Man At The Bus Stop Bus
- Slot Machine Legs Man At The Bus Stops
Calls[edit]
Slot machines really do lull gambling addicts into a trance, researchers find The 'slot machine zone' is the idea that problem gamblers prefer slot machines. Living in Wayne county, I have been to Detroit casinos so I know what to expect when playing the slot machines. This place is terrible. I bet $1 at a time on four different slot machines. The first machine 10 pulls and zero winnings. Second machine 10 pulls and zero wins. Third different machine 13 pulls and one win higher than bet ($4). One December I was on a bus in Trafalgar Square and about 50 Santas on rollerblades passed us. (Santas seem to be a theme in my life) A girl my brother in law was seeing gave him a hand job at a concert many years ago. A drug dealer literally thrown out by the landlord and bar tender. Got him by the legs and ams, chucked his arse onto the street.
Number | Nickname | Explanation |
---|---|---|
1 | Kelly’s eye[3] | The pun is military slang;[4] possibly a reference to Ned Kelly, from Ned Kelly's helmet, the eye slot resembling the number 1. Also after the Valiant comic strip 'Kelly's Eye' where the eponymous Kelly possessed a magic amulet. |
2 | One little duck. | From the resemblance of the number 2 to a duck; see also '22'. |
3 | Cup of tea | Rhymes with 'three'. |
4 | Knock at the door | Rhymes with 'four'. |
5 | Man alive[3] | Rhymes with 'five'. |
6 | Half a dozen[5] | A common phrase meaning six units (see '12' below). |
Tom Mix | Cockney rhyming slang for number 6[6] | |
7 | Lucky for some[5] | 7 is considered a lucky number in some cultures. |
Lucky 7[3] | ||
8 | Garden gate[5] | Rhymes with 'eight'. |
9 | Brighton line[5][7] | A reference to the British railway line running from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. |
Doctor's orders | Number 9 was a laxative pill given out by army doctors in WWII. | |
10 | Current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom's (Boris’s) den | The name refers to 10 Downing Street the home of the UK Prime Minister. |
11 | Legs eleven | A reference to the shape of the number resembling a pair of legs, often chicken legs specifically.[8] The players often wolf whistle in response. |
12 | One dozen | A reference to there being 12 units in one dozen. |
13 | Unlucky for some | A reference to 13 being an unlucky number. |
14 | Valentine's Day | A reference to 14 February being St. Valentine's Day. |
15 | Young and keen | Rhymes with 'fifteen'. |
16 | Never been kissed[2] | After the song Sweet Sixteen and Never Been Kissed |
Sweet 16 | Refers to the US and Canadian celebrations of a Sweet sixteen birthday. | |
17 | Dancing Queen | ABBA's song Dancing Queen has the number mentioned in the lyrics. |
18 | Coming of age | Eighteen is the age of majority in the UK. |
19 | Goodbye teens | Nineteen is the age after which people stop being teenagers. |
20 | One score | A reference to there being 20 units in one score. |
21 | Key of the door | The traditional age of majority. |
Royal salute | Named after the traditional 21-gun salute. | |
22 | Two little ducks | The numeral 22 resembles the profile of two ducks.[8] Response is often 'quack, quack, quack'. |
23 | The Lord is My Shepherd | The first words of Psalm 23 of the Old Testament. |
Thee and me[3] | Rhymes with '(twenty) three'. | |
24 | Two dozen | 12 × 2 = 24. Refer to 12 above. |
25 | Duck and dive | Rhymes with '(twenty) five', and is made up of a '2' – resembles a duck, and a '5' – resembles an upside-down '2'. |
26 | Half a crown | Pre-decimalised currency in the UK. (See half crown). A half crown is equivalent to 2 shillings sixpence, written 2/6. |
Pick and mix | Rhymes with '(twenty) six' | |
27 | Duck and a crutch. | The number 2 looks like a duck (see '2') and the number 7 looks like a crutch. |
Gateway to Heaven | Rhymes with '(twenty) seven' | |
28 | In a state. | 'Two and eight' is rhyming slang for 'state'. |
Overweight | Rhymes with '(twenty) eight'. | |
29 | Rise and shine | Rhymes with '(twenty) nine'. |
30 | Dirty Gertie[1] | Common rhyme derived from the given name Gertrude, used as a nickname for the statue La Delivrance installed in North London in 1927. The usage was reinforced by Dirty Gertie from Bizerte, a bawdy song sung by Allied soldiers in North Africa during the Second World War.[9] |
31 | Get up and run[1] | Rhymes with '(thirty) one'. |
32 | Buckle my shoe | Rhymes with '(thirty) two'. |
33 | Dirty knee | Rhymes with '(thirty) three'. |
34 | Ask for more | Rhymes with '(thirty) tour'. |
35 | Jump and jive[2] | A dance step. |
36 | Three dozen | 3 × 12 = 36. Refer to 12 above |
37 | More than 11 | Rhymes with '(thirty) seven'. |
38 | Christmas cake | Cockney rhyming slang. |
39 | Steps | From the 39 Steps |
40 | Life begins | Refers to the proverb 'life begins at forty'. |
Naughty 40 | Possibly in reference to the Naughty Forty. | |
42 | Winnie the Pooh | Rhymes with '(forty) two' and in reference to Winnie-the-Pooh, a beloved UK children's book character. |
43 | Down on your knees | This was a phrase that was made popular during wartime by soldiers. |
44 | Droopy drawers[7] | Rhyme that refers to sagging trousers.[citation needed] |
45 | Halfway there | Being halfway towards 90. |
46 | Up to tricks | Rhymes with '(forty) six'. |
47 | Four and seven | Refers to the two numbers that make up 47, that being 4 and 7. |
48 | Four dozen | 4 × 12 = 48. Refer to 12 above. |
49 | PC | Refers to the BBC Radio series 'The Adventures of PC 49'. Usual response is 'Evening all'. |
50 | It's a bullseye! | Referring to the darts score. |
5 – 0, 5 – 0, it's off to work we go | Referring to Snow White. | |
Half a century | Referring to 50 being half of 100. | |
51 | Tweak of the thumb | Rhymes with '(fifty) one'. |
52 | Danny La Rue[10] | A reference to drag entertainer Danny La Rue. Also used for other numbers ending in '2' (see '72' below). |
Chicken vindaloo[1] | Introduced by Butlins in 2003.[1] | |
Deck of cards | Number of cards in a deck. | |
53 | Here comes Herbie! | 53 is the racing number of Herbie the VW Beetle. Players may reply 'beep beep!' |
Stuck in the tree | Rhymes with '(fifty) three'. | |
54 | Man at the door | Rhymes with '(fifty) four'. |
Clean the floor | Rhymes with '(fifty) four'. | |
55 | All the fives[5] | Rhymes with '(fifty) five'. |
Snakes alive | Rhymes with '(fifty) five'. | |
56 | Shotts bus[5] | Refers to the former number of the bus from Glasgow to Shotts. |
Was she worth it? | This refers to the pre-decimal price of a marriage licence in Britain, 5/6d. The players shout back 'Every Penny!' | |
57 | Heinz varieties[5] | Refers to 'Heinz 57', the '57 Varieties' slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company. |
58 | Make them wait | Rhymes with '(fifty) eight'. Here the announcer would pause, making the audience wait. |
59 | Brighton line | Quote from The Importance of Being Earnest referencing trains 59 in turn references the number 59 bus running between Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea. |
60 | Grandma's getting frisky | Rhymes with 'sixty'. |
Five dozen | 5 × 12 = 60. Refer to 12 above. | |
61 | Bakers bun | Rhymes with '(sixty) one'. |
62 | Tickety-boo | Rhymes with '(sixty) two'. |
Turn the screw | ||
63 | Tickle me | Rhymes with '(sixty) three'. |
64 | Almost retired | A reference to the former British male age of mandatory retirement – specifically being one year away from it. |
Red raw | Rhymes with '(sixty) four'. | |
65 | Retirement age, Stop work[2] | A reference to the former male British age of mandatory retirement. |
Old age pension | ||
66 | Clickety click[7] | Rhymes with '(sixty) six'. |
67 | Stairway to Heaven | Coined by Andrew 'CIP' Lavelle. |
Made in Heaven[3] | Rhymes with '(sixty) seven'. | |
68 | Pick a mate | Coined by Edward James Mackey II. |
Saving grace | Rhymes with '(sixty) eight'. | |
69 | Anyway up | A reference to the 69 sex position. |
Either way up | ||
Meal for two | ||
A favourite of mine[2] | ||
70 | Three score and 10 | A score is a way of counting in 20s in which one score is 20.[11] 20 * 3 = 60 + 10 = 70. Three score and ten years is the span of life according to the Bible.[12] |
71 | Bang on the drum[2] | Rhymes with '(seventy) one'. |
J.Lo's bum[2] | ||
72 | Danny La Rue[2] | Rhymes with '(seventy) two' |
Six dozen | 6 × 12 = 72. Refer to 12 above. | |
73 | Queen bee | Rhymes with '(seventy) three'. |
Under the tree. | ||
Lucky 3[13] | ||
74 | Hit the floor | Coined by Ann Fitzsimons. |
Candy store | Rhymes with '(seventy) four'. | |
75 | Strive and strive[14] | Rhymes with '(seventy) five'. |
76 | Trombones[15] | 'Seventy-Six Trombones' is a popular marching song, from the musical The Music Man. |
77 | Two little crutches[15] | The number 77 resembles 2 little 'Crutches'. |
Sunset Strip | From the 1960s television series '77 Sunset Strip'. Usually sung by the players. | |
78 | 39 more steps | 39 + 39 = 78. Refer to 39 being '39 steps' above. |
Heaven's gate | Rhymes with '(seventy) eight'. | |
79 | One more time | Rhymes with '(seventy) nine'. |
80 | Gandhi's breakfast | 'Ate nothing'. |
Eight and blank | Refers to 80 being made up of 8 and 0 (nothing). | |
81 | Fat lady with a walking stick | The number 8 is supposed to visually resemble a lady with ample bosom and hips, while the number 1 is supposed to visually resemble a walking stick. |
Stop and run | Rhymes with '(eighty) one'. | |
82 | Straight on through | Rhymes with '(eighty) two'. |
83 | Time for tea | Rhymes and scans[14] |
84 | Seven dozen | 7 × 12 = 84. Refer to 12 being 'a dozen' above. |
85 | Staying alive[16] | Rhymes with '(eighty) five'. |
86 | Between the sticks | Rhymes with '(eighty) six'. Refers to the position of goalkeeper in football. |
87 | Torquay in Devon | Rhymes with '(Eighty) Seven'. Torquay which is in the county of Devon, rather than one of several other Torquays which were elsewhere in the British Empire. |
88 | Two fat ladies[17] | The number 88 visually resembles a lady next to another lady. Refer to 81 above. Players can reply with 'wobble, wobble!' |
89 | Nearly there | 89 is one away from 90 (the end of the bingo numbers). |
Almost there | ||
90 | Top of the shop[5] | 90 is the highest (top) number in bingo. Shop refers to the entire game of bingo (and also rhymes with 'top'). |
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ abcde'J-Lo gets bingo call-up'. BBC News Online. 5 May 2003. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- ^ abcdefgh'R.I.P. 1950s Bingo Calls'. BBC News Online. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^ abcdeArielr (9 September 2020). 'Bingo Calls'. Wink Bingo. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^Partridge 2006, p. 1397.
- ^ abcdefghBingo – Trendier than Clubbing!, Inside Out (BBC), 23 September 2002. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^'Tom Mix is Cockney Rhyming Slang for 6!'. www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ abcGreen 1987, p. 56.
- ^ abBingo Slang Terms, 11 October 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^Vosburgh 1994.
- ^Jackson 2007.
- ^'Why is the number 20 called a 'score'? - Quora'. www.quora.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^King James Bible. Psalm 90 verse 10.CS1 maint: location (link)
- ^'Bingo Calls a Complete Guide Infographic'.
- ^ ab'Bingo Calls'. Wink Bingo. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ ab'How to stay young, even if you're clickety-click'. BBC News Online. 11 July 2002. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^'The history behind the game of Bingo'.
- ^Lemanski 2008.
Sources[edit]
- Green, Jonathon (1987). Dictionary of jargon. London: Routledge. ISBN0-7100-9919-3.
- Jackson, Katie (18 August 2007). 'How we put the balls in bingo'. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- Lemanski, Dominik (20 April 2008). 'Amy's No, No, No to Kebab'. Daily Star. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- Partridge, Eric (2006). A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. ISBN978-1-134-96365-2.
- Vosburgh, Dick (8 March 1994). 'Obituary: Walter Kent'. The Independent. London. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
External links[edit]
FBI surveillance photo from September 3, 1977 | |
Born | July 18, 1927 |
---|---|
Died | February 18, 1982 (aged 54) New York City, U.S. |
Relatives | Richard Cantarella (cousin) Joseph D'Amico (cousin) Alfred Embarrato (uncle) |
Allegiance | Bonanno crime family |
Anthony 'Tony' Mirra (July 18, 1927 - February 18, 1982) was an American mobster, soldier and later caporegime for the Bonanno crime family. He is well known for being the individual who introduced FBISpecial AgentJoseph 'Donnie Brasco' Pistone into the Bonanno family.
Early life[edit]
Mirra was born to Albert Mirra and Millie Embarrato in Manhattan. He was the nephew of Bonanno family caporegimeAlfred Embarrato, and cousins of street soldier Joseph D'Amico, capo Richard Cantarella, capo Frank Cantarella, and Bonanno family capo Paul Cantarella.
Mirra was born in the poverty-stricken Lower East Side at Knickerbocker Village where he lived in the same apartment building as Embarrato, Richard Cantarella and D'Amico. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics lists his address of residence at 115 Madison Street (Manhattan) in Lower East Side, New York. Mirra was once a good friend of Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero; Mirra owned the Bus Stop Luncheonette[1] in Little Italy, Manhattan not far from Ruggiero's bar. His relatives D'Amico, Embarrato and Cantarella became involved in major racketeering schemes at The New York Post distribution center behind their housing complex, but Mirra moved on to more successful and prosperous racketeering endeavours.
Criminal career[edit]
Mirra worked for Bonanno capo Michael Zaffarano, and was involved in extortion, gambling and drug trafficking.[citation needed] During the 1970s, Mirra confessed to the 1959 assassination of Anthony Carfano and comedian Alan Drake's wife, Janice Hansen Drake. He stood at 6'3' and weighed 230 pounds. The New York Times correspondent Ralph Blumenthal described Mirra's appearance as 'Zorba-like'. Mirra never drank alcohol, only ginger ale.
Mirra remained a recluse from his fellow mobsters including his own relatives, which included Richard Cantarella, and eventually even became estranged from his uncle Alfred. Mirra was the first contact FBI agent Joseph Pistone made in his undercover operation, which led to his infiltration of the Bonanno family.[2] Pistone was working as an associate for the Colombo family at the time. Mirra introduced Pistone to 'Lefty' Ruggiero and offered him a job handling his slot-machine route. Pistone went under the name 'Donnie Brasco' and posed as a jewel thief.
In 1977,[1] Mirra fled New York after being indicted for drug trafficking. The FBI caught up with him three months later and he was sent to federal prison again for eight and a half years. When Mirra got out of jail, Brasco had since become close with Ruggiero and was working under him. Mirra argued that Brasco belonged to him, not Ruggiero. Mirra took the issue right to the top and had several meetings over the situation. In the end, Ruggiero won.
After the sudden death of his capo, Michael Zaffarano, Mirra took over the Bonanno family pornography empire and worked under the powerful Sicilian capo Cesare Bonventre. Mirra also muscled in on several Little Italy, Manhattan, restaurants and bars. He was involved in a vending machine operation that dealt in slot machines, peanut vending machines, video arcade machines and pinball machines that were distributed all over New York City. He had them installed in stores, luncheonettes, social clubs and after-hours establishments.
The slot machines, since they were illegal, would be installed in the establishment's back room or basement. The coin collection route produced $2,000 a week, and he would open the machines with a key he carried and give the store owner his cut of the profits (at least $25). Mirra was involved in 'strong arm' schemes and extorted from several bars and restaurants. Each of the owners would pay him $5,000 a week in protection money and he would become angry if he did not receive the money.
Bonanno civil war[edit]
In 1979, following the takeover of Philip Rastelli as leader of the Bonanno family, the family divided into two rival factions. The 'Red' Team led by capos Alphonse 'Sonny Red' Indelicato, Dominick Trinchera and Philip Giaccone, and the 'Black' Team led by Dominick 'Sonny Black' Napolitano and Joseph Massino. The day before Giaccone, Trinchera and Indelicato were to be ambushed and executed, Mirra announced at the Toyland Social Club to Nicholas Marangello that he was joining the opposition.
On May 5, 1981, the day of the executions, Napolitano called Mirra's uncle, Albert Embarrato, and told him to come down to The Motion Lounge for a 'sit down'. At the sit down, Napolitano had two of his soldiers flank Embarrato on either side until Napolitano received confirmation that the executions were followed through. Napolitano would later tell Pistone, 'When he (Albert) heard that, he turned ash white. He thought we were going to hit him too. But I just reamed at him about Tony, told him Tony was no good; and that he (Albert) better recognize that and act right himself.' Embarrato agreed.
Operation Donnie Brasco and death[edit]
In mid-1981, when Pistone was revealed as an FBI agent, 'Sonny Black' Napolitano, 'Lefty' Ruggiero, and Mirra were all on the firing line for initially allowing the infiltration. Mirra went into hiding. Joseph Massino ordered Mirra's uncle Alfred Embarrato and Mirra's two cousins, Richard Cantarella and Joseph D'Amico, to find and kill him. On February 18, 1982, Joseph D'Amico, lured him to a parking garage in Lower Manhattan. Embarrato and Cantarella were waiting in a getaway car. The pair went to the parking garage, climbed into Mirra's car, and drove up to a locked security gate. D'Amico later described in a testimony, 'He took out his key, put it in the box, but he didn’t get a chance to turn the box... I shot him at close range several times on the side of his head.'[3][4]
References[edit]
Slot Machine Legs Man At The Bus Stop Beating
- ^ abPistone, Joseph D (1988). Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. Assisted by Richard Woodley. New York, N.Y.: Signet. ISBN0451192575. OCLC36631381.
- ^'Joe Pistone's Unfinished Mob Business'. Orchard Press Mysteries. 2007-12-30. ISBN9780786741199.
- ^'TIGHT-HIT FAMILY – CLOSE CUZ CHOSEN TO KILL 'BRASCO' WISEGUY'. nypost.com. June 17, 2004.
- ^'FAMILY TIES MADE IT EASY TO WHACK CUZ: MOB THUG'. nypost.com. June 17, 2004.
Slot Machine Legs Man At The Bus Stop Bus
External links[edit]
Slot Machine Legs Man At The Bus Stops
- Carpenter, Teresa, Mob Girl: The biography of Arlyne Weiss
- Crittle, Simon, The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino Berkley (March 7, 2006) ISBN0-425-20939-3
- Dearborn, Mary V., Mailer: A Biography Mariner Books (December 10, 2001) ISBN0-618-15460-4
- May, Allan, Colletti & Drake: Women In the Wrong Place At the Wrong Time
- Pistone, Joseph D. and Woodley, Richard, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia Random House 1990 ISBN5-552-53129-9
- Pistone, Joseph D.; & Brandt, Charles (2007). Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business, Running Press. ISBN0-7624-2707-8.
- DeStefano, Anthony. The Last Godfather: Joey Massino & the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family. California: Citadel, 2006.
- Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press, 2005. ISBN0-312-30094-8