What Does It Mean When Your Right Hand Itches?

We've all grown up and heard all these stories from our parents, grandparents, and relatives, who were mostly older, and mostly into not doing things like walking under ladders, being careless with mirrors, and heading straight for black cats when they cross the street. Got an itchy right hand? They've got a story for that, too.

According to My Dreams, My Symbolism, because our hands do everything, they also have meanings attached to them. The left hand is said to be an indicator of opportunities and possibilities that are set to come around, while the right hand indicates all the tasks and jobs that we are able to (and do!) accomplish. So if the right hand itches, you lose money. Wait, what?

Money leaving our bank accounts can't really be a positive, but My Dreams, My Symbolism thinks otherwise. They note that if you have an itchy right hand, it should actually be viewed as a good thing because even if it means money is leaving your hand (wallet?) it could mean that the moolah is going into an investment. In other words, there's a chance that it could come around again. 

Still, because these stories are hardly set in stone, as Dream Astro Meanings says, interpreting an itchy hand is not as simple as it sounds. Since most of us are dominant on one side, an itch on the dominant hand means you're about to start something that will yield results, but if the passive hand needs a scratch, then expect an external force to wake up your energy. We kind of like the (vague) sound of that better.

But if your right hand is really itchy, you're probably better off taking a closer look at it for signs of allergic reactions, or eczema (via WebMD). If your right hand looks clear, then you're welcome to either hang onto your wallet to make sure nothing flies out, or dream big dreams because something could be just around the corner.

The MetroWest Daily News notes that an itchy right palm indicates that you'll meet someone new, but that isn't the only friend-related superstition out there about having an itchy right hand. If you find yourself scratching your right palm, you might want to pick up your broom with that hand and start sweeping. An itchy right palm is a good excuse to clean your house because it could mean that company is coming.

The book Superstitions and Folk Remedies lists some other things that will supposedly happen if your right hand itches. An itchy palm could also mean that you'll shake hands with a stranger, or that someone will come to visit you. According to the book Folk-lore from Adams County, Illinois, an itching right hand could also mean that a friend you haven't seen in a long time will come to pay a call.

Here's hoping that your visitors don't just assume your right hand will let you know that they're coming and that they pick up the phone to announce their visit.

These days, most of us rely on the internet or television to get breaking news. If an urgent message is sent our way, we're typically alerted by a text or email notification. People used to depend on far less reliable methods of communication, though, which might explain why the belief came about that an itchy right hand was an indicator that some news was heading your way.

The book Folk-lore from Adams County, Illinois noted that there's a belief that, when your right palm itches, "news will come to you from afar." Another belief is that an itchy right palm means that a letter is coming your way — although, according to one belief, you'll have to spit in your itching palm to get it. That seems like a lot of effort just to get a letter, not to mention pretty gross. We think we'll stick to e-mail, instead.

Spitting into your itchy right hand might be kind of nasty, but there's another thing that you can do when your hand itches that is far more sanitary. As noted by University of California Publications in Education, an itchy right palm could mean money is coming your way, but you'll have to work for it. The work isn't exactly difficult labor, though — all you have to do is shut your hand and shove it in your pocket, which will "assure you money in abundance." If you forget to do this, though, that windfall that was meant to come your way may never happen.

There's no word on exactly how long you're supposed to keep your hand in your pocket, but there may be an easier way to go about things. According to another belief, all you have to do to get that money is to put your itchy hand on a piece of wood.

If your right hand itches, it could mean that luck is coming your way. The bad news is that the luck isn't necessarily the good kind. Your Tango noted that ancient Saxons and Celts believed an itchy palm could bring you luck — but that if you scratched it, you'd undo your good fortune. The only way to keep that good luck intact is to scratch your itchy palm on a piece of wood.

Folk-lore from Adams County, Illinois, however, paints a far more depressing picture of the kind of luck that will fall upon a person with an itchy right hand. According to the book, an itchy right hand means that you have bad luck. Then again, it also noted that rubbing your itching hand on wood will bring you good luck, so it seems there's a pretty easy way of reversing your bad fortune in this case.

If you're feeling some irritation in your right hand, it could mean that you're itching for a fight — literally. The book Italian Folk Magic notes that if your right hand is itching, it means you're going to give someone a beating. This seems like a case of wish fulfillment more than anything else, though. Then again, if you do find yourself in a fistfight, blaming it on your itchy fist seems like a better excuse than saying you were just looking to brawl with someone.

Interestingly, an itchy left hand means the opposite. While an itchy right hand might mean that you also have the upper hand in a fight, if it's your left hand that starts itching, you might want to start running, as an itchy left hand supposedly means that you're going to be on the receiving end of a beating.