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."
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.
