scratch one's own itch en · VERB
Etymology
From scratch an itch.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) To do something out of motivation to solve a personal problem; to take matters into one's own hands.
The best advice for coming up with a business idea is "scratch your own itch". This is good advice for a variety of reasons. If you can think of a problem that you'd like a business to solve for you, the chances are other people share that problem.
2013, The Escape Manifesto: Quit Your Corporate Job. Do Something Different!:Every good work of software starts by scratching a developer's personal itch.
1999, Eric S. Raymond, The Cathedral and the Bazaar, section 2:
- (euphemistic, idiomatic) to masturbate
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| scratching one's own itch | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| scratches one's own itch | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| scratched one's own itch | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| scratched one's own itch | Tense=Past | lexicographic |