1. Kelly’s Eye
The pun is military slang; possibly a reference to Ned Kelly. After the Valiant comic strip ‘Kelly’s Eye’ where the eponymous Kelly possessed a magic amulet.
2. One little duck
The number 2 resembles a duck
2. Me and you
Romantic rhyme
3. Cup of tea
Rhymes with ‘Three’
3. You and me
Romantic rhyme
4. Knock at the door
Rhymes with ‘Four’
5. Man alive
Rhymes with ‘Five’
6. Tom Mix
Rhymes with ‘Six’. After Tom Mix, a star of silent-era Westerns
6. Half a dozen
‘A dozen’ is a commonly used phrase meaning twelve
7. Lucky
7 is considered a lucky number in some cultures
8. Garden gate
Rhymes with ‘Eight’
9. Doctor’s Orders
Number 9 was a laxative pill given out by army doctors in WWII.
10. ‘Theresa’s’ Den
Refers to whoever is currently the UK Prime Minister.
11. Legs eleven
A reference to the shape of the number resembling a pair of legs, often chicken legs specifically. 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. The Lawnmower
The original lawnmower had a 14-inch blade.
15. Young and Keen
Fifteen rhymes with keen
16. Never been kissed
16 is the age of sexual consent in the UK
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 maturity.
22. Two little ducks
22 resembles the profile of two ducks. Response is often ‘quack, quack, quack’.
23. The Lord is My Shepherd
The first words of Psalm 23 of the Old Testament
24. Knock at the door
Rhymes with ‘Twenty Four’
25. Duck and dive
Rhymes with ‘Twenty Five’
26. Two and six, half a crown.
Pre-decimalised currency in the UK.
27. Duck and a crutch.
The number 2 looks like a duck
28. Two and eight, in a state.
Rhyming slang for ‘state’.
29. Rise and Shine
Rhymes with ‘Twenty Nine’
30. Burlington Bertie
Reference to a music hall song of the same name composed in 1900, and a more famous parody ‘Burlington Bertie from Bow’ written in 1915. Burlington Bertie is 100 to 30 on the race track.
30. Dirty Gertie
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.
31. Get Up and Run
Rhymes with ‘Thirty One’
32. Buckle My Shoe
Rhymes with ‘Thirty Two’
33. All the threes
33. Fish, chips and peas
Rhymes with ‘Thirty Three’
34. Ask for More
Rhymes with ‘Thirty Four’
35. Jump and Jive
A dance step
36. Three dozen
3 x 12 = 36. Refer to 12 above
39. Steps
From the 39 Steps
44. Droopy drawers
Rhyme that refers to sagging trousers
45. Halfway there
Being halfway towards 90
48. Four Dozen
4 x 12 = 48. Refer to 12 above.
50. It’s a bullseye!
Referring to the darts score.
52. Danny La Rue
A reference to drag entertainer Danny La Rue. Also used for other numbers ending in ‘2’
52. Chicken vindaloo
Introduced by Butlins in 2003.
53. Here comes Herbie
53 is the racing number of Herbie the VW Beetle. Players may reply ‘beep beep’!
54. Man at the door
Rhymes with ‘Fifty Four’
55. Musty Hive
Rhymes with ‘Fifty Five’
56. Shotts Bus
Refers to the former number of the bus from Glasgow to Shotts.
57. Heinz Varieties
Refers to ‘Heinz 57’, the ‘57 Varieties’ slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company.
59. The Brighton Line
Refers to the starting 2 digits of all original Brighton telephone numbers
60. Grandma’s getting frisky
Pretty close to a rhyme with ‘sixty’
62. Tickety-boo
Rhymes with ‘Sixty Two’
64. Almost retired
A reference to the British age of mandatory retirement – specifically being one year away from it.
65. Stop work
A reference to the British age of mandatory retirement.
66. Clickety click
Rhymes with ‘Sixty Six’
67. Stairway to Heaven
Coined by Andrew ‘CIP’ Lavelle
68. Pick a Mate
Coined by Edward James Mackey II
69. Anyway up, Meal for Two, A Favourite of mine
A possible reference to the 69 sex position.
71. Bang on the Drum
Rhymes with ‘Seventy One’
72. Danny La Rue
Rhymes with ‘Seventy Two’
73. Queen Bee. Under The Tree. Lucky 3
Rhymes with ‘Seventy Three’
74. Hit the Floor
Coined by Ann Fitzsimons
76. Trombones
‘Seventy-Six Trombones’ is a popular marching song, from the musical The Music Man.
76. Was she worth it?
This refers to the pre-decimal price of a marriage licence in Britain, 7/6d. The players shout back ‘Every Penny’
77. Two little crutches
The shape of the number resembles crutches
77. Sunset Strip
From the 1960s TV series ‘77 Sunset Strip’. Usually sung by the players.
78. 39 more steps
39 + 39 = 78. Refer to 39 being ‘39 steps’ above.
80. Gandhi’s Breakfast
Imagine looking down from above on Mahatma Gandhi sitting cross-legged in front of a plate or ‘ate nothing’
81. Fat Lady with a walking stick
The number 8 is supposed to visually represent a lady with ample bosom and hips, while the number 1 is supposed to visually represent a walking stick
83. Stop Farting!
The 8 is supposed to be the bottom and the 3 is the fart. Then when this is called, a player says ‘Who? Me?’
84. Seven dozen
7 x 12 = 84. Refer to 12 being ‘a dozen’ above
85. Staying alive
Rhymes with ‘Eighty Five’
86. Between the sticks
Rhymes with ‘Eighty Six’
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
The number 88 visually represents a lady next to another lady. Refer to 81 above.
89. Nearly there
89 is one away from 90 – the end of the bingo numbers.
89. Almost there
89 is one away from 90 – the end of the bingo numbers.
90. Top of the shop
90 is the highest ‘top’ number in bingo. Shop refers to the entire game of bingo and also rhymes with ‘top’.