Green’s Dictionary of Slang

unpleasant, disgusting.

1839		Northampton Mercury 15 June 2/3: The coarse sea-doggrel of Stephano is ‘of the earth, earthy,’ like his nature; and of the sea, scummy, like his circumstances.
1847		Dublin Wkly Nation 20 Feb. 8/3: The surging masses that once bounded under our yoke have subsided in scummy froth.
1853		H. Hayman Pawnbroker’s Daughter 215: He was one evening passing down Husband-and-Wife Street, a scummy residuum of houses, which looked like the rubbish of bigger ones swept together.
1866		Penny Illus. Paper (London) 17 Feb. 11/2: Jingo! [...] how long would G. take sniffing that up out of a filthy, scummy well.
1879		Croydon Advertiser 5 Apr. 2/1: Thornton heath pond [...] the water being green and scummy.
1882		Graphic (London) 13 May 26/1: A vapor floated all about [...] and the bathing rooms, with their scummy waters, are very unattractive.
1891		Dundee Eve. Teleg. 2 July 4/2: A canoe filled with green scummy water.
1908		Western Times (Exeter) 26 June 15/6: When you are constipated [...] and your mouth is scummy — these and other signs.
1923		Western Dly Press (Bristol) 30 Jan. 10/7: There was a jam jar containing some green ‘scummy’ water.
1925		S. Lewis Arrowsmith 125: They went [...] to an imitation Coney Island beside a scummy and stinking lake.
1928		R. Carr Rampant Age 133: I saw what awful scummy brats they were.
1933		W.R. Burnett Dark Hazard (1934) 56: That was the scummiest trick he ever heard of; pure meannness.
1945		R.S. Close Love me Sailor 85: I hate that scummy steward!
1953		F. Paley Rumble on the Docks (1955) 47: Yuh yellow bum! Scummy son of a bitch!
1966		T. Keyes All Night Stand 21: Angela made scummy coffee which drove us to get up and make some more.
1974		(con. 1940s) E. Thompson Tattoo (1977) 224: ‘How’s old Vanda Hard-ass-ty?’ ‘Got her scummy ass married, man!’.
1981		(con. 1966) P. Conroy Lords of Discipline 40: I don’t want Theresa’s name ever mentioned by a scummy tongue like yours.
1989		T. Blacker Fixx 48: As a team, they covered the scummy waterfront of human weakness [...] pretty thoroughly.
1998		I. Welsh Filth 19: I’m about to pull up that scummy bastard for letting one go.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 246: The location, this scummy public bog an stuff, somehow adds t’the excitement of it all.
2004		E. Miller ‘Practicing’ Brooklyn Noir 113: I’ve heard all sortsa nicknames, but I never heard anyone call a good buddy Scummy.
2012		J. Fagan Panopticon (2013) 114: They think I’m scummy as fuck, maybe I am?
2020		G. Armstrong Young Team 34: ‘FUCKIN YOUNG TEAM, YA SCUMMY BASTARDS!
2022		J. Hannaham Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit 39: The scummy COs wouldn’t cough up any of her possessions.