I haven’t had a chance to consult a dictionary, but I recall reading about “charnal houses” which I think were slaughter houses. By extension, figuring such a place would be quite filthy, a word “charny” could be used as describing a very dirty place - a room, a sink or other plumbing fixture, etc.

Joanne, that same thought crossed my mind as soon as I heard the word, too. My understanding of “charnel house,” though, is that of a repository for dead bodies. I haven’t been able to find a connection between them, though.

Your guess reminds me of the word “shambles,” which indeed has its roots in the idea of a bloody slaughterhouse.

It’s a great example of how the original, vivid sense of English words can get really watered down over the years, no? Today we’d not think anything of telling a teenager his room is a shambles. But the word’s origins are pretty icky!

I’d LOVE to know if something similar’s going on with charny, but I’ve never seen any evidence for it.