How did 'taking a gander at' originate?

Question

A gander is a bird.

Answer 1

A gander is a male goose. When in mating rituals a gander lifts his head up. This is origin of the expression because when a man looks, usually at a pretty girl, he must raise his head up from whatever he is doing at the time.

Answer 2

That sounds like a Hot for Words question. Maybe look for it on You Tube or on the podcast- it's, well, hot lol, bet you'll like it and if your question hasn't been answered yet you could ask there ;)