Bingo wings is a slang term used to describe the build-up of fat and or flaccid muscle that hangs from the underside of the upper arms. It occurs most frequently in elderly ladies and overweight people. The problem may also occur after significant weight loss, with flaps of loose skin remaining.
The term apparently originated from the bingo hall custom of raising one's arm aloft and bellowing "House!". This ties in due to bingo long being the entertainment of choice for large numbers of elderly ladies, especially in the United Kingdom.
British comedy show Bo' Selecta! popularised the term with a bizarre caricature of the EastEnders character Kat Moon (née Slater), who appeared constantly paranoid about people talking about her "big fat saggy bingo wings".
British comedy show Bo' Selecta! popularised the term with a bizarre caricature of the EastEnders character Kat Moon (née Slater), who appeared constantly paranoid about people talking about her "big fat saggy bingo wings".
Other names for this phenomenon may include: 'auntie arms', 'tuck shop arms', 'dinner lady arms', 'nanna wobble', 'nan flaps', 'bat wings' and, predominantly in Australia, 'sugar gliders', in tribute to an Australian mammal that propels itself through the air with the aid of batlike folds of skin.
In the North of England this condition can also be known as "Family Fortune Arms" again referring to the old/fat contestants on the old TV game show "Family Fortunes" waving at the beginning of the show, with their "Wings" flapping in the breeze. In the US, the familiar term is "bye bye fat" because it will flap as the arm is held up to wave goodbye.
Exercises for bingo wings.The term Bingo Wings is now also officially included in the most recent edition of Chambers Dictionary.
