scratch an itch
To satisfy a need or desire.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I bought this new camera to scratch an itch for photography.”
“He traveled to the mountains for a month just to scratch an itch for adventure.”
“After years of working in finance, she finally opened a small bakery to scratch an itch for creative expression.”
- 01
chicken scratch
Cramped or illegible handwriting.
- 02
itch the ditch
To masturbate by stimulating one's vagina.
- 03
make someone's teeth itch
To bother or unsettle a person; to put someone on edge.
- 04
scratch beneath the surface
To look or see beyond what is obvious.
- 05
scratch by
To get by; to make ends meet.
- 06
scratch one's head
To puzzle, ponder, or wonder about something.
- 07
scratch one's own itch
To do something out of motivation to solve a personal problem; to take matters into one's own hands.
- 08
scratch that
To disregard, omit, or ignore the previous statement.
Last updated August 10, 2026