Dictionary

Charlie en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈtʃɑɹli/ (General-American)
• (Canada) audio

Meanings

1. (qualifier:World War II era; joint US/RAF; World War II era; joint US/RAF, uncountable, usually) radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter C.
2. (slang, uncountable, usually) The Vietcong (Victor Charlie); (by extension, sometimes) any enemy.
   • I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don't you know? You better stay away from Copperhead Road. 1988, Steve Earle, “Copperhead Road”:
3. (slang, uncountable, usually) Cocaine.
4. (UK, countable, often, slang, usually, with "right" and/or "proper") A fool.
   • You look a right Charlie in that clown outfit! — Yes, we make a right pair of Charlies.
   • He looked a right Charlie in those tails and striped trousers. 2009, Ruth Rendell, The Best Man To Die, page 26:
5. (plural-normally, slang, uncountable, usually) A woman's breast
   • […]being turned on by a woman who was also a person and had stuff going for herself, and knowing that even if my Wurlitzer rotted and fell off, even if her Charlies sagged and turned to empty baggies, we'd still be buddies and craft companions 1975, Harlan Ellison, No Doors, No Windows:
   • There's not a man she won't go with. She lets even the small boys feel her charlies. 1959, Michel del Castillo, tr. Humphry Hare, The Billsticker:
   • 'Hullo, Jacob.' She grins at him over her counter as he eyes her charlies sticking through her sweater. 1986, John Hooker, Jacob's Season, page 115:
6. (archaic, slang, uncountable, usually) A nightwatchman.
7. (uncountable, usually) A short, pointed beard, like that of King Charles I.
   • This Cholly guy wants to do a brodie off the rattler. 1913, “Lord Ballyrot in Slangland”, in The Tacoma Times, →ISSN:
   • […] the sons are adorned in the very height of the fashion, with white pantaloons, watch chains and Wellingtons, and a charley at their under lip […] 1834, “Hampden in the 19th Century”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, London: John Bowyer Nichols, page 295:
   • That square, short man... wearing a moustache and Charlie is William Laud [F&H]. 1861, J.W. Taylor, Antiquities Falkland, page 43:
8. (uncountable, usually) The situation in some blackjack variants where a player wins automatically by showing a hand with the correct number of cards.

Forms

Synonyms

snow (cocaine) · fool (fool)

Charlie en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /ˈtʃɑɹli/ (General-American)
• (Canada) audio

Meanings

1. A unisex given name. ▸ A diminutive of the male given name Charles; also used as a formal given name.
   • Heaven only knows why a man with a strong biblical name like James wants to be a president named Jimmy. I'm certain that if he were called Charles, he wouldn't fool around that way. Charles is not so bad, but Charlie is a terrible burden to bear. 1979 Charles Kuralt, Dateline America, Harcourt Brace Jovanocich, page 184
   • People were seen exiting a building on Utah Valley University after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot Wednesday at an event on campus. 2025 September 10, Hannah Schoenbaum, Alanna Durkin Richer and Mark Sherman, “Conservative activist Charlie Kirk dies after being shot at Utah college event”, in AP News:
2. A unisex given name. ▸ A diminutive of the female given names Charlotte and Charlene, also used as a formal given name, although less common than the male name.
   • 'Can I call you Charlotte?' 'No. I hate the name, makes me sound like a Victorian aunt. I'm Charlie, and no, you can't call me that either.' 2007, Sophie Hannah, Hurting Distance, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 225:
3. A name for a fox in fables and folk literature.
   • [I]t is a land of large, rich pastures bounded by ox-fences, and covered with fine hedgerow timber, with here and there a nice little gorse or spinney, where abideth poor Charley, having no other cover to which to betake himself for miles and miles, when pushed out some fine November morning by the old Berkshire. 1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days:

Forms

Deriveds

good-time Charlie · Charlie Foxtrot · Charlieplexing · Charlie rat · charley horse · Charlee · Regulation Charlie · Charleigh · Charlieplex · Charlie Papa · Uncle Charlie · Charlie bar · Charlie Noble · Charlie Farnsbarns · Mister Charlie · Charlie Chaplin mustache · Charley · CharlieCard · creeping Charlie · Charlie Brown tree · Charlie McCarthy · Tail End Charlie · cheap Charlie · Victor Charlie · Charli

Descendants

cali · Charlie · Tjalli

Synonyms

Chas (diminutive of Charles) · Chuck (diminutive of Charles) · Charleigh (female given name) · Charlee (female given name) · Charli (female given name) · Charley (given name)

Translations (13)

fi Karo (diminutive of Charlotte or Charlene or its translations in other languages) · ru Ча́рли (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · nv Cháala (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · sv Kolle (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · bg Ча́рли (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · mr चार्ली (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · cs Kája (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · sv Kalle (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · es Carlito (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · sv Lotta (diminutive of Charlotte or Charlene or its translations in other languages) · fi Kalle (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages) · sv Carro (diminutive of Charlotte or Charlene or its translations in other languages) · fa چارلی (diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages)