What it means
To have a gander means to take a look, usually a quick, curious one. It's casual British English with a slightly cheeky, friendly feel, the kind of thing you say when you're telling someone to come over and clock something for themselves.
Usage examples
"Come and have a gander at this, the neighbour has parked his caravan diagonally across three spaces again."
"Have a gander at the menu before we go in, I want to know if they do a proper Sunday roast."
"He came round to have a gander at my new motor, then spent an hour telling me what he would have bought instead."
"Oi, have a gander at this flyer, they've spelt Wednesday about five different ways."
"Had a gander through the charity shop window and somehow came out with a lamp shaped like a fish."
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Where it comes from
It comes from gander, the word for a male goose. By the late 1800s, English had started using it to mean a look or glance, and take a gander was already in solid everyday use by the early 1900s. The goose image helps too, all neck out and nosing about.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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