[Note: Parts of this entry were previously at dew poison.]
dew itch n esp S Midl Cf dew crack n, ground itch n
= dew poison n.
1896 Sedgwick Pantagraph (KS) 30 July [4]/3, G. S. Hollister lost a valuable mare with dew itch. 1896 Herald & Tribune (Jonesborough TN) 26 Feb [2]/1, When a farmer boy he suffered terribly from grass cuts, dew itch, “pizen” vine rash, nettle stings, stone bruises, galled pits, and green apple cramps. 1908 Med. Assoc. AL Trans. 477, These young worms, barely visible to the naked eye, enter man either through the mouth, or probably more commonly through the skin, producing that condition known as “ground itch,” “dew itch,” “dew poison,” “dew sores,” “toe itch,” or “foot itch.” 1967 DARE (Qu. BB25, . . Common skin diseases) Inf SC32, Dew itch. 1968 Relics Spring 17/3 OK, Dew itch was some kind of infection on the feet which usually occurred in summer when the dew was heavy. Anyway, I’ve worn many a wool string soaked in turpentine or coal oil for the dew itch. 1978 Elizabethton Star (TN) 27 Feb 5/2, Symptoms of [hookworm] infection begin with what people in the south call “dew itch,” which occurs when the larvae penetrate the skin.