[Ads-l] "on one's bingo card"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here are some tweets in which the bingo card apparently is figurative.

[Begin tweet info]
ACT! For Houston @a4aHouston
must be a mistake sheila "get outta my was there's a camera" jackson
lee not on my bingo card
9:16 PM · Feb 24, 2009
https://x.com/a4aHouston/status/1247527245
[End tweet info]

[Begin tweet info]
Spin's Vixenella @SpinsVixenella
@Soap_Dude Britney is so wannabe. She's got no game, just a pathetic
attention whore. Amy Winehouse takes crazy/ansgty on my BINGO card.
12:34 PM · Sep 27, 2009
https://x.com/SpinsVixenella/status/4419974198
[End tweet info]

[Begin tweet info]
Doug Warner @dougkwarner
RT @bozemanmonique:  Randy: do you have swine flu? that's great!
you're on my bingo card. um.. I mean I hope you feel better.
4:56 PM · Nov 5, 2009
https://x.com/dougkwarner/status/5461132012
[End tweet info]

Garson

On Thu, Jan 8, 2026 at 11:10 AM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Bingo cards are sometimes created with words or events listed in each
> square. For example, it appears that back on Oct 2, 2008 bingo cards
> with words in each square were created for a televised debate.
>
> On twitter people complained when a distinctive word spoken during the
> debate was not listed on their bingo card. These tweets were literal.
> Over time figurative use has emerged. It might be tricky to determine
> when the transition to figurative use occurred.
>
> Earlier examples may exist. These search results are from the twitter
> search engine only.
>
> [Begin tweet info]
> Jamie Stephens @jamiestephens
> Totally bummed that "maverick" is not on my bingo card
> 10:24 PM · Oct 2, 2008
> https://x.com/jamiestephens/status/944340458
> [End tweet info]
>
> [Begin tweet info]
> Jennifer Pahlka @pahlkadot
> mainstreeter isn't even on my bingo card :-(  Nor durn right.
> 9:28 PM · Oct 2, 2008
> https://x.com/pahlkadot/status/944154443
> [End tweet info]
>
> [Begin tweet info]
> Jonathan Hsieh @hsiehdy
> Man, why isn't "surge" on my bingo card :(
> 10:15 PM · Oct 2, 2008
> https://x.com/hsiehdy/status/944306355
> [End tweet info]
>
> [Begin CSPAN article info]
> October 2, 2008 Debate Transcript
> The Biden-Palin Vice Presidential Debate
> IFILL: Good evening from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
> I’m Gwen Ifill of “The NewsHour” and “Washington Week” on PBS. Welcome
> to the first and the only 2008 vice presidential debate between the
> Republican nominee, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, and the Democratic
> nominee, Joe Biden of Delaware.
> https://www.debates.org/voter-education/debate-transcripts/2008-debate-transcript-2/
> [Begin CSPAN article info]
>
> Garson
>
> On Thu, Jan 8, 2026 at 9:56 AM Rich Lowenthal
> <000018596069864c-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> >
> > It's been around for a while. The earliest NY Times citation I found in
> > a quick search was from 2019:
> >
> > "I will admit that I did not have "Darcy Kuemper's premature trash talk"
> > on my bingo card of things that could turn around the Wild season, but
> > here we are."
> >
> > https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1366364/2019/11/11/dgb-weekend-power-rankings-early-season-surprises-slow-down-caps-and-blues-stay-hot-and-don-cherry-thoughts/
> >
> >
> >
> > ------ Original Message ------
> > From "Jonathan Lighter"
> > <00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Date 1/8/2026 09:41:59
> > Subject "on one's bingo card"
> >
> > >Have been hearing this on cable news often in the past couple of months.
> > >
> > >CNN:
> > >
> > >"I know you didn't have being gassed three times before breakfast in your
> > >bingo card."
> > >
> > >'Among one's responsibilities or expectations.'
> > >
> > >JL
> > >
> > >--
> > >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> > >
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org