etymology - Where did the 1920s slang word "grungy" (meaning "envious") originate, if the modern word "grungy" (meaning "dingy") doesn't appear until 1965?


I've heard grungy used to mean envious in old motion pictures and books. Here is one reference, and there are several more on the internet.


However, when I researched the etymology of the word grungy online, I only found this:



grungy (adj.) "sloppy, shabby," 1965, American English slang, perhaps a blend of grubby and dingy. grunge (n.) "sloppiness," also "untidy person," 1965, American English teen slang, probably a back-formation from grungy. The music and fashion style that originated in Seattle is attested from the early 1990s.



The dates given are considerably later than the 1920s. I'm curious to know if anyone has any idea where the word grungy from the 1920s could have originated to mean envious.




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