I agree, there has to be an active cover-up or scandal for it to be a "-gate". But more importantly, your summary of Watergate is wonderful. It reminds me of J

I agree, there has to be an active cover-up or scandal for it to be a "-gate". But more importantly, your summary of Watergate is wonderful. It reminds me of John Mulaney's line about the NY Post: "It's like you're talking to someone who heard the news, and now they're trying to give you the gist." I'll let the other pedantics on HN correct you, I'll just encourage you to go read up a bit on the topic so you get the bits in the right order.