What Does Gander Mean?

Gander is term used for the male gender of goose. Goose and gander are terms used to refer to a variety of birds like swan, ducks etc. ganders and geese are domesticated animals. They are reared for their eggs and meat. Like ducks and hens they can't fly a long distance and are good swimmers. Ganders have a largely vegetarian diet but also make a meal of small insects and pests. Gander is slang word for somebody stupid and dumb. One can often hear sentences like he was being a gander which means that he was being foolish. It refers to a simpleton or a yokel as goose and gander are not supposedly very bright.

Gander also has another meaning that denotes "taking a look". It means glancing at something. Take a gander is an idiom in English that is related to this term. This idiom is informal or slang but has existed since the early 1900's. It originated most probably from the verb gander which means stretching one's neck. It is possibly an indication of the long neck of the male goose or a gander.

A "gander" is a female goose.

Thought it was the female