Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) inferior, second-rate, grubby; thus as nickname.

1945		Baltimore Sun (MD) 5 Aug. 97/1: [cartoon caption] ‘Hullo, Tuffy’s Tavern, where the heels steal for a meal! Scroungy the manager speakin’’.
1954		‘Bop Dict.’ Mad mag. Oct. 20: bad – scroungy.
1965		H. Rhodes Chosen Few (1966) 81: Let’s go wash these scroungy ass clothes.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 187: I sure looked scroungy.
1977		L. Heinemann Close Quarters (1987) 256: We lined up [...] feeling raunchy and scroungy and pissed off.
1986		L. Heinemann Paco’s Story (1987) 33: Each time more scroungy and grungy and hangdog-looking than the time before.
1993		Press & Sun Bulletin (NY) 8 June 14/3: Scroungy was almost too generous to describe [etc].
2000		P. Earley Super Casino 35: They pass through one of the city’s scroungier neighborhoods. [...] Pawnshops, wedding chapels, one-hour-photo booths, liquor stores, 1950s-era motels featuring X-rated movies, adult bookstores, topless bars, and used furniture stores line the boulevard.
2011		Battle Creek Enquirer (MI) 1 May 2/1: Scroungy and street smart, MOscow’s 26,000 stray dogs roam the russian capital.