1887. W. E. Henley, Villon’s Straight Tip to all Cross Coves. It’s
up the spout and Charley-wag With wipes and tickers and what not.
Until the squeezer nips your scrag, Booze and the blowens cop the
lot.
Charlie.—See Charley.
Charlies, subs. (popular).—1. The paps. For synonyms, see Dairy.
2. (Winchester College).—Thick gloves made of twine. [Introduced by a
Mr. Charles Griffith; hence the name.] Obsolete.
Charm, subs. (old).—1. A picklock.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1881. New York Slang Dict., s.v.
Charms, subs. (old).—The paps. Fr., les appas. Once in literary use,
but now impossible except as slang. Flashing her Charms = showing her
paps.
2. (American).—A generic term for money. For synonyms, see Actual and
Gilt.
1875. American English, in Cham. Journal, 25 Sept., p. 610. Money
has forty or fifty different names; such singular terms as ...
shadscales, and charms figuring in the list.
Charter the Bar or Grocery, verbal phr. (American).—To buy up the whole
of the liquor at a bar and stand drinks all round as long as it lasts.
This freak is not infrequent in the West. In Australia a similar
expression is shouting oneself hoarse. (q.v.).
18(?). J. G. Baldwin, David Bolus, Esq. Bolus was no niggard. He
would as soon treat a regiment, or charter the grocery for the day,
as any other way.
Chasing, verbal subs. (workmens’). See quot.
1884. Rae, Cont. Socialism, 361. This is shown ... in their
prohibition of chasing ... i.e., of a workman exceeding a given
average standard of production. [m.]