The seven-year itch

MENTION “the seven-year itch and the common perception these days is the reputed tendency of men to be unfaithful after seven years of marriage, with the desire to satisfy one’s urges (“itches”). This notion was popularised by the 1955 film starring Marilyn Monroe with the classic, tantalising shot of her standing at a subway grating with her skirt billowing up her thigh.  

Actually, the term “seven-year itch” was originally used to describe the condition of scabies, a parasitic infection of the skin. The hallmark of this disease is intense itching. The word scabies is in fact derived from a Latin word scabere (meaning to scratch).