be gaga over〜

Asahi Weekly(11/04/2012)の7ページ、Annie's Mailbox(十人十色の人生模様)から英語表現を拾います。同窓会を機に妻が他の男の所にいってしまうのではないか、そんな心配をしているという話です。

Dear Annie:My Life's 35th high school reunion is coming up. I was trying to think of a reason to get out of attending. But before I could come up with one, she told me I shouldn't bother to go. She said she'd br with her two out-of-state girlfriends the entire time and  I'd be bored silly.

I happen to know that only one of those girlfriends is attending the reunion, and she has a brother-in-law who graduated in that class and will be there, as well. My wife is gaga over this guy. She doesn't know that I've seen hoe excited she is to open his Facebook messages on the reunion site.she doesn't open anyone else's.

今回拾う英語表現はgagaです。あまり良いイメージのない単語ですが、ここでは「…に熱狂的な、首ったけの」という意味(『ジーニアス英和辞典』第4版、大修館書店)です。これだけみると、確かに他の男に「首ったけ」であるように思えますが、LDOCEに"having a strong but often temporary feeling of love for someone"とあるので、どうやら一時的なもののようです。日本語で言うと「ミーハー」という言葉が近いでしょうか。(EnDough)