Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) to mope, to grumble, to complain; thus grouched, angry, petulant.

[1522		Skelton Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? line 79: Chefe counselour was carlesse, Gronynge, grouchyng, gracelesse, And to none entente].
1907		Times Dispatch (Richmond, VA) 10 Mar. 53/3: ‘I hear those dagoes of yours are grouching again.’ [...] ‘They say all the good jobs go to the Irish’.
1913		J. London Valley of the Moon (1914) 173: ‘Aw, what’s the use of gettin’ grouched?’ Billy cheered.
1918		C.J. Dennis ‘Digger Smith’ in Chisholm (1951) 94: But I ain’t grouchin’. It was worth the fun. / We ’ad some picnic stoushin’ Brother ’Un.
1926		J. Black You Can’t Win (2000) 82: ‘Oh, sure’ he grouched. ‘Everything’s all right.’.
1936		J.T. Farrell World I Never Made 18: ‘It seems to me that there might have been plenty he could have done [,...] with his mother sick,’ Al grouched.
1941		K. Tennant Battlers 81: Let her put up with it. It gives her something to grouch about. Why, if a woman didn’t have nothing to moan for, she’d fall sick or something.
2005		H. Mantel Beyond Black 251: All the psychics called up to grouch about it.