Dr Anthony Fauci has expressed his amusement over a new dating term named for him and inspired by his pandemic guidance.
Amid the pandemic, many Americans have turned to theinfectious disease expert and chief medical advisor to the president for information and counsel about Covid-19.
While Dr Fauci has been helpful in educating the public, he has also managed to serve as inspiration for singles who have taken his advice into the dating world with the phrase “Fauci-ing”.
The term, which was first coined by dating site Plenty of Fish but has since made its way to Urban Dictionary, is described as “declining to date someone because you don’t feel they’re taking Covid-19 seriously enough”.
Dr Fauci was introduced to the term during an interview with Axios, where he shared his delight upon learning about the dating trend.
During the interview, Margaret Talev tells the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director: “There’s actually a term in dating now called “Fauci-ing someone, do you know what that means?”
After responding that he doesn’t know what the term means, Talev shared the definition, prompting Dr Fauci to burst out laughing.
“I’m gonna Fauci you,” President Biden’s chief medical officer added while continuing to giggle.
While speaking with Axios, Dr Fauci also became serious on the topic of dating amid the pandemic, telling Talev that he can see how it would be “frustrating” and stressful to date during this time.
“It would be really frustrating to essentially semi-isolate yourself at a time when you’re trying to explore social interactions with people. That leads to a considerable amount of stress and maybe even depression on the part of some people,” he said.
Following the interview, Talev spoke to CNN about the exchange, revealing that she thinks Dr Fauci was “impressed” by his impact on the dating lexicon.
“I think he likes the term. I think he was impressed by it,” she said.
