[newgeezer]

I'll side with the Merriam-Webster dictionary on this one:

Main Entry: -gate
Pronunciation: \ˌgāt\
Function: noun combining form
Etymology: Watergate

: usu. political scandal often involving the concealment of wrongdoing gate>

One syllable, clear meaning, I like it.

[mquinn]

Just because M-W picks up on the vernacular doesn’t mean the rest of us have to follow them right off the cliff. “-gate” is one of the more annoying crutches of today’s drive-by media.