Green’s Dictionary of Slang

repellent, disgusting, despicable.

1973		E.F. Droge Patolman 202: ‘I don’t think I can do something like that. That’s a real scumbag move.’ .
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 4: We wouldn’t let one of them scumbag motherfuckers stand near us at the bar.
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 59: He loves that scumbag town.
1996		P. Temple Bad Debts (2012) [ebook] ‘Wonder where that prick got an Ingram? [...] ‘Is that what it was?’ ‘Not your normal scumbag piece of iron’.
1998		J. O’Connor Salesman 325: And were you sorry when your scumbag mate hit her with the iron bar?
1999		Guardian G2 19 Oct. 9: We’re all treated as scumbag junkies.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 9: People who deal it [i.e. cocaine] are evil, scumbag, lowlife cunts, bloodsuckers.
2004		L. Redhead Peepshow [ebook] Thanks for sicking Farquhar onto me, you lying scumbag piece of shit.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] I’d been worried Alex’s scumbag cousin would spill the beans.
2012		T. Robinson ‘Delivery’ in Dirty Words [ebook] Yeah, he was a scumbag drug dealer.