From groady, from groaty (intervocalic /t/ and /d/ are similar in American English), clipping of grotesque + -y. Compare British grotty, of same origin, and American gross, gro.
Popularized by Moon Unit Zappa in song “Valley Girl” (1982) in phrase “grody to the max”, as archetypal Southern California Valleyspeak; song also popularized “gag me with a spoon”.
grody (comparative grodier, superlative grodiest)
- (US) nasty, dirty, disgusting, foul, revolting, yucky, grotesque.
- I wouldn't set foot in that bar; the floor looks grody.
- 1982, Frank Zappa, Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch, “Valley Girl” (1982), Moon Unit Zappa speaking:
- And the lady, like, goes
- “Oh, my god, your toenails are, like, so grody”
- It’s like grody
- Grody to the max
- nominative plural of grod
- accusative plural of grod
- nominative plural of gród
- accusative plural of gród
- vocative plural of gród