Charlady

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A charlady or sometimes charwoman was an English house cleaner. The term is derivative of "chore woman," one hired to do odd chores around the house. The term origionated in the late sixteenth century,^[1] but developed it's modern usage around the mid-19th Century, often appearing as an occupation in the English census of 1841. Unlike a maid or housekeeper, typically live-in positions, the charlady worked for weekly wages and usually came and went on a daily basis.

The position often features in fiction; one notable character is the charlady who appears in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The best known charlady is probably Ada Harris from Paul Gallico's novel Mrs 'Arris goes to Paris.

In the British radio comedy series It's That Man Again, Dorothy Summers played the part of Mrs Mopp, the office char with the catch phrase "Can I do you now, Sir?" (i.e., "May I clean your office now, Sir?" but with an obvious double entendre).