charlie
charlie - foolish person, (usage typically 'he's a right charlie' or 'a proper charlie') - the use of charlie to mean a foolish person is from the cockney rhyming slang expression Charlie Smirke (= Berk, which in turn is earlier rhyming slang Berkley Hunt for the unmentionable - think about that next time you call someone a charlie or a berk...). The original Charlie whose name provided the origin for this rhyming slang is Charlie Smirke, the English jockey. Charlie Smirke was a leading rider and racing celebrity from the 1930's-50's, notably winning the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park in 1935 on Windsor Lad, and again in 1952 on the Aga Khan's horse Tulyar (second place was the teenage Lester Piggott on Gay Time).