What it means
A dekko is a look or quick glance, most often said as have a dekko. It’s an old Anglo-Indian borrowing from Hindi dekho, spread around by British Army slang and then stubbornly kept in everyday speech. Use it when you want someone to come over and check something out, usually with a bit of nosy curiosity.
Usage examples
"Oi, have a dekko at their front garden, proper show-off stuff. Ours looks like a windswept car park, so shut the gate before the neighbours clock it."
"Have a dekko at this old photo I found in the attic, that is your grandad with hair down to his shoulders."
"Let me have a dekko under the bonnet, it might just be a loose cable rather than anything serious."
"Go on, have a dekko at the state of this takeaway pizza, it's sliding round the box like it's trying to escape."
"Had a dekko in the charity shop and came out with a lamp, two books, and somebody else's nan's teapot."
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Where it comes from
Dekko comes from Hindi dekho, meaning look. British soldiers picked it up in colonial India and carried it back into military slang, then it settled into everyday British speech. That’s why have a dekko means have a look, usually with a faintly cheeky, nosy little sniff around the situation.
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