What does "gate" mean at the end of a certain word?

bungler

What does "gate" mean at the end of a word such as "Cowengate", heard it loads of times and just wondering what it means and where it came from?

Coriolanus

Cow&gate make baby food

It means the speaker is completely unoriginal and uninspired

But it comes from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate

ejmaztec

Look up Watergate











Edit: or let Bluewolf do it for you:P

hotmail.com

I think it comes from the Watergate Scandal in the 1970s.

WindSock

It's just become a catchphrase to add at the end of any scandal.

fred funk }{

It refers to the watergate scandal in the the states forty odd years ago. Since then it's a catchy name to give a scandal or else I'm totally wrong and they just make baby food.

MrStuffins

RTE News called the Cowan/Fitzpatrick situation "Golfgate" the other day.

I still haven't been able to remove my palm from my face!

Links234

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w

jack presley

It's lazy journalism. They can't think up a name to call some scandal so they go back to Watergate. You'd swear Watergate was the first time a politician did something inappropriate.

My name is URL

It doesn't even make any sense.. Watergate is the name of the office block where the break-in took place. It's still known as the Watergate scandal, not Watergategate. Fcuking pisses me off when I see journalists using it to describe some vague bullshit

Alex Kidd

It's really turning into Suffixgate.

Dunjohn

Well they can't call it "The Big Cowen Scandal." "The Big" is already taken by The Big Freeze, The Big Thaw, and last year's The Big Freeze. Journalists only get paid so much damn it.

take everything

hotmail.com wrote: »

I think it comes from the Watergate Scandal in the 1970s.

Or Watergate-gate as it was dubbed at the time.

Dunjohn

What did they call scandals before Watergate?

Miguel_Sanchez

Dunjohn wrote: »

What did they call scandals before Watergate?

Political Whoopsies.

Honey-ec

"This reporter suggested 'Waitergate', but was shouted down at the Press Club."

weemcd

Lazy Journalism

Alter-Ego

Dunjohn wrote: »

What did they call scandals before Watergate?

Scandals.

Irish Guitarist

What I'd like to know is what happens if there's a scandal involving water, say water pollution. Would they call it Watergate?

Saila

Dunjohn wrote: »

What did they call scandals before Watergate?

shennagins

LambsEye

My name is URL wrote: »

It doesn't even make any sense.. Watergate is the name of the office block where the break-in took place. It's still known as the Watergate scandal, not Watergategate. Fcuking pisses me off when I see journalists using it to describe some vague bullshit

Exactly. This is one thing that annoys me so so so so so ****ing much. It doesn't make SENSE. And I'm very sensible.

JupiterKid

As the others posted, the "gate" suffix comes from the Watergate scandal of 1972-73 that brought down then US President Richard Nixon.

The Watergate scandal was named after the Watergate office and apartment complex in Washington DC that was built in the 1960s and housed the offices of the Democratic National Convention that were illegally raided by people linked to President Nixon.

For a good look at Watergate, go get the excellent film All The Presidents Men.