- The word fever in this phrase was undergone a metaphorical meaning change. Fever is usually associated with being sick, and in this case, a great obsession is being compared to a sickness. Fever also sounds very similar to Bieber, so the use of both words together works well phonetically.
Bieber fever (2)
noun; other word formation type
The state of being obsessed with Justin Bieber; often associated with young girls.
Etymology : Meaning of fever changed by metaphor. The two words were put together by compounding.
Source : "Look at those girls lined up to see Justin Bieber. They must all have Bieber fever." - conversation about a picture in a magazine
Last modified: 2 December 2011