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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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bingo
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The modern name for a simple game of chance, played in Britain from the 18C as 'lotto' and known in the early 20C as 'housey-housey'. Bingo halls swept Britain in the 1960s and 70s, but the game's popularity has declined. Each player stakes money and receives a card showing several numbers; the winners are those whose numbers come up first from a random sequence. The calling of the numbers used to be done with many ritual phrases (66, invariably announced as 'clickety-click', or 88, 'two fat ladies'), but electronic technology in modern halls has made these colourful details redundant.
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