In military radio alphabet, the word used to represent the letter 'C'; also used as a general name or sometimes as slang in various contexts.
From the NATO phonetic alphabet established in the 1950s, 'Charlie' was chosen as a clear, recognizable word to represent 'C' in radio communication to prevent confusion.
The NATO phonetic alphabet was born from a military problem—soldiers couldn't hear the difference between 'B' and 'D' on crackling radios, so they invented words like 'Charlie' to be unmistakable, which is why pilots still use it today.
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