# Idea for an SNL-type Alternate-Reality Sketch: What if the Watergate Hotel had a different name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682 "2015-09-11T17:04:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/1 "2015-09-11T17:04:34Z")
I was listening to some sports radio guys riffing on DeflateGate and now HeadsetGate and it struck me: what if the Watergate Hotel was named something else? How would all scandals be named, and what silly combos could result? I am not great at this kinda stuff, but I have to believe there are some good possibilities. All the ones I have come up with are stupid, like what if the hotel was called The Corksniffer Inn and everything ended up with "-sniffer"at the end of it? Benghazi-sniffer? Bridge-sniffer? Not really funny, but I hope it gets the point across. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if some actual comedians had taken a swing at this, but nothing is coming to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/2 "2015-09-11T17:57:39Z")
The Mayflower Hotel is nearby. Travel-flower. Deflate-flower. I’m not feeling inspired by this one. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/3 "2015-09-11T17:59:15Z")
They’re lucky the break-in wasn’t at a Howard Johnsons. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/4 "2015-09-11T18:09:37Z")
[Relevant Mitchell and Webb clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w) People are already using the -ghazi prefix, generally to denote a fake or otherwise overblown scandal. For example, the gamerghazi subreddit that only exists to make fun of gamergate. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/5 "2015-09-11T18:15:08Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > They’re lucky the break-in wasn’t at a Howard Johnsons. **silenus Johnson** is right! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/6 "2015-09-11T18:16:16Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > The Mayflower Hotel is nearby. Travel-flower. Deflate-flower. I’m not feeling inspired by this one. Jennifer Flower-flower. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/7 "2015-09-12T01:59:07Z")
If it were the Admiral Fell Inn, we would have had Bridge Fell. Staybridge Suites would have resulted in Bridgebridge. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/8 "2015-09-12T02:17:07Z")
The cabal to take Germany off the euro clandestinely meets in Stuttgart at the grand old Pfefferschitt Hotel… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/9 "2015-09-12T11:36:09Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > The cabal to take Germany off the euro clandestinely meets in Stuttgart at the grand old Pfefferschitt Hotel… That would _totally_ work! Benghazi-schitt; Bridge-schitt; Deflate-schitt. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/10 "2015-09-12T11:52:29Z")
As an aside, we have William Safire to blame for the proliferation of the -gate suffix to any and all faux pas, whether they rise to the level of a [genuine scandal or not](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scandals_with_%22-gate%22_suffix): > [@](#): > > The adoption of -gate to suggest the existence of a scandal was promoted by William Safire, the conservative New York Times columnist and former Nixon administration speechwriter. As early as September 1974 he wrote of “Vietgate”, a proposed pardon of the Watergate criminals and Vietnam War draft dodgers. Subsequently he coined numerous -gate terms, including Billygate, Briefingate, Contragate, Deavergate, Debategate, Doublebillingsgate (of which he later said “My best [-gate coinage] was the encapsulation of a minor … scandal as doublebillingsgate”), Frankiegate, Franklingate, Genschergate, Housegate, Iraqgate, Koreagate, Lancegate, Maggiegate, Nannygate, Raidergate, Scalpgate, Travelgate, Troopergate and Whitewatergate. The New York magazine suggested that his aim in doing so was “rehabilitating Nixon by relentlessly tarring his successors with the same rhetorical brush – diminished guilt by association”. Safire himself later admitted to author Eric Alterman that, as Alterman puts it, “psychologically, he may have been seeking to minimize the relative importance of the crimes committed by his former boss with this silliness” ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/11 "2015-09-12T13:45:34Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > **silenus Johnson** is right! **running coach Johnson** is right about **silenus Johnson** being right! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/12 "2015-09-12T15:46:27Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > That would _totally_ work! Benghazi-schitt; Bridge-schitt; Deflate-schitt. 😉 Blossoming scandals at the Kentucky Derby and annual Kennel Club competition rush to adopt the suffix! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/13 "2015-09-12T17:02:15Z")
I think I’ve heard that the historical trend once was to call scandals such-and-such dome, after Teapot Dome. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/14 "2015-09-14T12:50:21Z")
There’s **The Knickerbocker** so we could have had Weiner-bocker, Bebe-bocker, Nipple-bocker, Billy-bocker, Mammy-bocker, Nanny-bocker, Bounty-bocker, Dongle-bocker, etc. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/15 "2015-09-14T12:58:01Z")
> [@kenetic](#): > > [Relevant Mitchell and Webb clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w) > > People are already using the -ghazi prefix, generally to denote a fake or otherwise overblown scandal. . People with a certain political slant. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/16 "2015-09-14T15:00:52Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > There’s **The Knickerbocker** so we could have had Weiner-bocker, Bebe-bocker, Nipple-bocker, Billy-bocker, Mammy-bocker, Nanny-bocker, Bounty-bocker, Dongle-bocker, etc. I missed this post! Another winner! That’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-an-snl-type-alternate-reality-sketch-what-if-the-watergate-hotel-had-a-different-name/730682/17 "2015-09-14T18:23:31Z")
I realize Trump hadn’t gotten in the hotel bidness back then, but oh, if he had, we’d have been treated to Deflate-Trump! 😃