gold bug

noun4

1. •
   (informal) A person with a particularly great enthusiasm for investing in gold (the metal).

   • The swing in equities scared him so much that he became a gold bug for a while.
2. •
   (informal) A person who collects gold items.

   • If you see the decorating style in his living room, you'll know that he's a gold bug.
3. •
   (informal) A particularly great enthusiasm for gold — whether as an investment, a hoard, a collectible, or otherwise — portrayed figuratively as an arthropod that bites people and infects them, causing a mental illness.

   • He was bitten by the gold bug a long time ago, and some of the venom is still in his veins.
4. •
   (informal) A person who is opposed to fiat currency and supports a return to the gold standard.

   • The swing in inflation scared him so much that he became a gold bug for a while.