an itching palm
Preserved but no longer current.
A hand ready to receive bribes. The old superstition is that if your palrn itches you are going to receive money. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself Are much condemned to have an itching palm. Julius Ccesar, iv. 3.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “an itching palm” mean?
A hand ready to receive bribes. The old superstition is that if your palrn itches you are going to receive money. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself Are much condemned to have an itching palm. Julius Ccesar, iv. 3.
Is “an itching palm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.