Adhesive blends containing thermally grafted ethylene polymer

A polymer blend consisting essentially of

• a. about from 80-99% by weight of a first olefinic polymer selected from
• (i) non-polar ethylene polymers and copolymers having a density of 0.930 to 0.965 g/cc and
• (ii) copolymers of ethylene having up to about 30 weight percent of at least one ethylenically unsaturated ester having from 4 to 12 carbon atoms;
• and
• b. about from 1-19% of a second olefinic polymer selected from the group consisting of
• (i) non-polar ethylene polymers and copolymers having a density of about from 0.945 to 0.965 g/cc and
• (ii) terpolymers of ethylene, at least one .alpha.-olefin having from 3-6 carbon atoms, and at least one nonconjugated diene;
• the second olefinic polymer being thermally grafted with unsaturated acid or anhydride to give a copolymer having about from 0.02 to 4.0 weight percent of grafted succinic groups, provided, however, that when the second olefinic polymer is (ii), then the first olefinic polymer is (ii).