charlady
A charlady or sometimes charwoman was an English house cleaner. The term was used through the mid-20th Century. 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 ITMA, Dorothy Summers played the part of Mrs Mopp, the office char with the catch phrase 'Can I do you now, Sir?' (ie. 'may I clean your office now, Sir' but with an obvious double entendre).
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