Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A male goose.
- n. Informal A look or glance: "Everyone turns and takes a gander at the yokels” ( Garrison Keillor).
- n. Informal A simpleton; a ninny.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The male of the goose.
- To go leisurely; linger; walk slowly or vaguely.
Wiktionary
- n. A male goose.
- n. A fool, simpleton
- n. slang A glance, look.
- v. dialect (intransitive) ramble, wander
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The male of any species of goose.
WordNet 3.0
- n. mature male goose
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old English gandra; see ghans- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Just look at Hillary Clinton and George W. Y'know, eight years ago I was enraged by this kind of behavior from a presidential candidate, but apparently whats good for the gander is also good for the goose!”
“Sauce for the crooked gander is sauce for the bribe-taking goose.”
“All Answers from Sportsman21 wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago look for seminares in gander or at a hunting expo”
“Yes | No | Report from Sportsman21 wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago look for seminares in gander or at a hunting expo”
“I have always suspected that," said the rooster, and he went around the barnyard next day telling everybody that the very fine gander was a dangerous bird, more than likely a hawk in gander's clothing.”
“Feminists should be delighted by their enlightened commitment to sexual equality, their assumption that what's sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose, too.”
“Many people object to geese in a poultry-yard on account of the pugnacious habits of the gander; but when a gander is brought up with other fowls he becomes familiar with them, and is not likely to do them any injury.”
The Lady's Country Companion: or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally
“One gander is sufficient for several geese; and four or five geese will bring up a brood of forty or fifty goslings.”
The Lady's Country Companion: or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally
“Frankly, I wouldn't mind being blindsided by Joe's body myself, although I would prefer he'd go for the side of me that can see, as he is well worth a good gander, which is also good for the goose - Ow!”
The Huffington Post: Survivor Tocantins: Much Ado, in re: Nil
“The little formulas that the smart boys who design these so-called foolproof systems build in so they can sneak a gander whenever they feel like it.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘gander’.
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UK - slang
fanny, nick, mufti, siphon, mug, smashing, butcher, stick up, knocker, porridge, tit, punter and 208 more...
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You animal!
Names of animals that are also used to describe kinds of people. Nouns only, preferably single word.
For a related list, see sionnach's beastly verbs.rabbit, shark, hog, pussycat, bear, bull, skunk, hawk, wildcat, buck, slug, heifer and 112 more...
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Here's Looking At You Kid
Synonyms or funny substitutes for the word 'look'.
gaze, glare, saw, penned, peeked, poked, bore, blazed, glance, search, gaped, gawped and 41 more...
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MiaLuthien's list ♥
gambit, prehensile, coquetry, impunity, genuflect, ensconce, clavicle, delude, beget, castigate, life caching, convoluted and 478 more...
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Twitter favourites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favourite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
bumwank, calamity, recalcitrant, gayenese, jeeze, nonsense, flabbergasted, juxtapose, procrastinating, ossanity, biffing, loser and 1972 more... -
strangelyrouge's Words
glockenspiel, gewgaw, jetsam, flotsam, gripe, grab, wench, whilst, betwixt, hither, thither, yonder and 1034 more...
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kringlan's Words
fecund, riposte, nebbish, nonpareil, deign, eschew, imbroglio, spelunking, fop, foofaraw, tundra, talon and 128 more...
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slumry's Words
cattywampus, ingratiate, lackadaisical, exactitude, exfoliate, fulminate, circumnavigation, circuitous, debride, sidle, sequester, chicory and 1002 more...
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Airborn
Words and phrases from Kenneth Oppel's book, Airborn.
running lights, starboard, bow, gondola, bullhorn, rudder man, gas cell, keel, catwalk, stern, cargo bay, machinist and 152 more...
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theastic's Words
cellar, stalemate, wrought, opal, tyrant, squelch, squab, linen, tartan, paisley, scope, siren and 395 more...
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stpeter's Words
abase, abasement, abashed, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abhorrent, abide, abject, ablation, abnegation and 3536 more...
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5-0
Hecko, words! I’m so happy I’ve found you. I want to keep you all and never want to lose you again. I hope you like it here.
amscray, thistledown, tine, tinsel, pungent, snarl, wail, lanky, viscid, dawdle, luminous, stow and 2719 more...
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i_am_scifi's Words
asshat, charlatan, podcast, geek, amazonian, parlez, defile, menagerie, perplex, gotham, metropolis, ghoul and 131 more...
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silverthread's Words
kerfuffle, ponder, hither, thither, persnickety, manhandle, fondle, snarky, trundle, truffle, fluffy, mangle and 90 more...
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micellaneous
hinky, heath, peat, cicatrix, lark, chateau, gapeseed, obstreperous, mixen, addax, syllogism, colligate and 100 more...
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Critters
cockle, cicada, appaloosa, brachiopod, bivalve, aye-aye, cygnet, alewife, chamois, ermine, drake, dugong and 381 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for gander.
qroqqa arby, slumry: it's not a verb. In the expression 'take a gander' it's a noun. It's modified by a determiner 'a', making the noun phrase 'a gander', which is the object of the transitive verb 'take'. If it was a verb, you'd say *'Mary gandered John', rather than 'Mary took a gander at John'. Jun 14, 2009
mollusque Chiefly American according to OED2. Jun 13, 2009
jinglebelljosie british slang; look. "Would you take a gander at what she's wearing?" Jun 13, 2009
bmevans apparently "Hamsa" means gander! Apr 3, 2008
slumry I also enjoy the verb form, and that was what I had in mind when I listed it. I like the implicit analogy to a literal gander.
As for the sense of fool, idiot, etc., I suppose the female counterpart is a silly goose. Or perhaps I should say that *was* the female counterpart; I guess the term is now spread more equitably between the sexes. Jul 2, 2007
arby NOUN: 1. Informal. One deficient in judgment and good sense: ass, fool, idiot, imbecile, jackass, mooncalf, moron, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, simple, simpleton, softhead, tomfool. Informal: dope, goose. Slang: cretin, ding-dong, dip, goof, jerk, nerd, schmo, schmuck, turkey. See ABILITY. 2. Informal. A quick look: blush, glance, glimpse, peek, peep. See SEE. Jul 2, 2007
arby I particularly like it as a verb. As in "take a gander" at something. Jul 2, 2007