Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. see charlie wheeler n.

2. a prostitute.

1949		L. Glassop Lucky Palmer 41: Who was that Charlie I seen you with last night?’ he asked. [...] ‘Charlie!’ asked Eric. ‘What do you mean by “Charlie”?’ ‘Your “Charley”,’ repeated Max. ‘Your canary.’ ‘“Canary”?’ ‘Ay, don’t you speak English? Your sheila.’ ‘Oh. That was my wife.’ .
1953		Baker Aus. Speaks 125: Other terms generally applied to harlots include charley or charlie, chippy.
1954		T.A.G. Hungerford Sowers of Wind 158: ‘Where the hell have you been the last half-hour? I been looking all over for you!’ ‘I been having a charley,’ Stewart muttered quickly.
1964		B. Humphries Nice Night’s Entertainment (1981) 79: In some cosy Alpine spot / There you’re sure to find us, / Propelling Charlies to the cot / With a queue of blokes behind us .
1972		J. MacNeil Old Familiar Juice 67: Haw! Look at that! A dead set charlie...can’t hold ’er hands up.
1983		J. Byrell Up the Cross 14: ‘Howdja like to go a couple of rounds with that particular charley?’.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.

3. a male homosexual.

1956		L. McIntosh Oxford Folly 40: ‘[W]ho on earth is that Charlie she’s with?’ Julian and Sandy looked, and saw Madeleine escorting a man in suede shoes and a black birdseye drape suit [Simes:DLSS].
1961		Partridge DSUE (5 edn).
1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
1973		D. Friend Save me from Shark 151: [W]e breakfasted with his charlie of the night before, a stoker from the naval base.