itch

plural itches

1. A sensation felt on an area of the skin that causes a person or animal to want to scratch said area.
2. A constant teasing desire or want.

   ... it left, however, a bee at his ear and an itch to transfer the buzzer's attentions and tease his darling; for she had betrayed herself as right good game.

   1895, George Meredith, The Amazing Marriage

present singular third person itches · participle present itching · participle past itched · past itched

1. intransitivestativeTo feel itchy; to feel a need to be scratched.
2. intransitiveTo have a constant, teasing urge; to feel strongly motivated; to want or desire something.

   He started learning to drive and he has been itching for opportunities to practice ever since.

   1 more example

   Capulet: ... Speak not, reply not, do not answer me; / My fingers itch. Wife, we scarce thought us blest / That God had lent us but this only child; / But now I see this one is one too much, / And that we have a curse in having her: / Out on her, hilding!

   c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]

3. transitiveTo cause to feel an itch.

   My head is suddenly itching me like mad.

   2001, India Knight, My Life on a Plate, page 102

4. colloquialtransitiveTo scratch or rub so as to relieve an itch.

   "What makes you suspect him?" Max asked as he itched his neck.

   2002, M D Huddleston, Missing Paige

   4 more examples

   I have to take both shoes and socks off! If I go bare foot I'm ok! I also get itching on my r/palm of my hand. I itch it so much that it's raw!

   2002 January 4, Cyd, “Itching”, in alt.support.mult-sclerosis (Usenet)

   Basically I go through a half hour of trying to figure out of it is an fake OCD itch or a regular itch before I itch it (if I determine it's a "fake" itch, then I try not to itch it).

   2003 November 21, Jim Patterson, “Behavior Therapy for Itchy Clothes?”, in alt.support.ocd (Usenet)

   Ulysses thumped his side and itched his back side, then slipped into his car.

   2003, Ray Emerson, The Riddle of Cthulhu

   But when we asked more about the famous man whose specter still commanded the heights, the guard just sneered at me, pointed his gun back toward the road with one hand, and itched his chin with the other.

   2004, Philip Smucker, Al Qaeda's Great Escape: The Military and the Media on Terror's Trail