Seven-year itch

Posted by ESC on September 27, 2001

In Reply to: Phrase Meaning posted by Ronald E. Sobota on September 27, 2001

: What is the Meaning and Origin of "The seven year itch".

SEVEN-YEAR ITCH - "Used to describe a husband's or wife's urge to stray from his or her mate after seven years of marriage, this expression appears to have been invented by American playwright George Axelrod in his play 'The Seven Year Itch' and further popularized by the film version starring Marilyn Monroe . Word and phrase hunters haven't been able to turn up any earlier use of the words in a sexual context, although seven-year itch had been used to describe a poison ivy itch that supposedly recurred once every seven years." From the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

• Seven-year itch masakim 09/27/01