Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also charve) sexual intercourse or a female in a sexual context; thus bona palone for a charver, an ‘easy lay’, a ‘good-time girl’ (lit., ‘a good girl for a fuck’); also attrib.

1846		Swell’s Night Guide 60: An out-and-outer she is to go and no mistake, a rattling piece and a stunning charver, s’elp my never.
1937–84		Partridge DSUE (1984) 200/1: late C.19–20.
1945		J. Maclaren-Ross Swag, the Spy and the Soldier in Lehmann Penguin New Writing No. 26 38: Expressions he used – ‘Charva,’ and ‘Scarper’ and ‘Palone’ – became part of the lingua-franca of Greenleaves.
1961		T. Murphy Whistle in the Dark Act I: I wouldn’t be buying no English charve. Oi?
1961		T. Taylor Baron’s Court All Change (2011) 87: Apart from the charver stakes she’d shown me the so-called smart set.
1962		F. Norman Guntz 11: Up to this time I had not had a charver since I had got out.
1971		T. Murphy Morning After Optimism in Plays: 3 (1994) Scene v: When I’m chatting up crumpet. (Explaining.) Charvers.
1977		S. Berkoff East in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 62: Your bird that you pulled round for stand-up charvers.
1985		S. Berkoff West in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 95: Where to sir? To some ponce who vomits in the back / or has a quick charver.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 192: I need a good charver, a bitta freestyle, a good bunk-up.
2011		J.J. Connolly Viva La Madness 168: A post-charver pick-me-up.

2. (also chover) a friend.

1963		L.F. Freed Crime in S. Afr. 105: When he is ‘hotting it up’ with his ‘chommies’ or ‘chovers’, it means he is going on the spree with his pals.
2005		B. Hare Urban Grimshaw vii: Charver Mate, pal, friend. [Ibid.] 87: Easy, charver. I’m Pinky.

3. a term of abuse.

2007

Indep. 1 June 20: Other regional insults [...] include ‘charva’, a Romany word heard in Newcastle.