# \-Gate scandals **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497 "2006-12-09T20:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wordworker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Wordworker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wordworker)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497/1 "2006-12-09T20:01:57Z")
After referring to some household incident as “puppygate”, I started wondering about the practice of using -gate to indicate a scandal. I know it all leads back to Watergate, but I’m curious as to who first used “gate” to indicate a non-Watergate scandal. What is it about the “gate” portion of Watergate that lends itself so nicely to scandal naming? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497/2 "2006-12-09T20:18:14Z")
From [List of -gate scandals and controversies - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scandals_with_%22-gate%22_suffix) : > [@](#): > > Winegate — A French scandal in the 1970s involving the adulteration of Bordeaux wines. The first scandal after Watergate to be so named. (Safire, Safire’s Political Dictionary, 1978, pp 255) “winegate” was apparently used in 1973, so nothing could have been much earlier. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497/3 "2006-12-09T20:48:20Z")
I would also suggest that what may have actually cemented the usage was “Billygate” during the Carter administration which got a lot of newsplay, and happened to roll off the tongue rather well. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497/4 "2006-12-09T21:06:45Z")
[Bay of Pigsgate, Teapot-Domegate, Slaverygate](http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/06/01.html#a3233) ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497/5 "2006-12-09T23:10:54Z")
Is a swinging gate something that is useful on a farm or something that happens in Washington, DC? ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497/6 "2006-12-10T00:31:59Z")
[QUOTE=Spartydog] Is a swinging gate something that is useful on a farm or something that happens in Washington, DC? [/QUOTE] Don’t really know…but if politicians stole all the gates and sold them to terrorists, that would be Gategate. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497/7 "2006-12-10T00:44:21Z")
“Swinging Gates” is something that just sounds implausible, no matter how much money he has. ---
**Author:** ![Wordworker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Wordworker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wordworker)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gate-scandals/383497/8 "2006-12-10T05:29:17Z")
Ew, what an image. Anyone have any idea who coined the term “Winegate” then? This might be critical knowledge if I ever show up on Jeopardy or something.