What it means
A Cockney way to say have a look. It comes from butcher's hook, which rhymes with look, then the second bit got chopped off and butcher's did the job on its own. Usually it means a quick peek, a nosy glance, or checking something out with a bit of cheeky London flavour.
Usage examples
"Have a butcher's at the price on that, twenty quid for a sandwich and a cup of tea, daylight robbery."
"Give us a butcher's at your new phone then, go on."
"Oi, have a butcher's at this parking ticket and tell me that ain’t pure thievery."
"Come here and have a butcher's at what Dave’s done to the kitchen, absolute carnage."
"Have a butcher's at this dodgy email, that can't be legit."
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Where it comes from
It’s proper Cockney rhyming slang. Butcher’s hook rhymes with look, then the back half got lopped off, which happens all the time with these phrases once they settle into everyday chat. So have a butcher’s became the tidy little way of saying have a look, with that cheeky London snap still hanging off it.
Other ways to say it
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