a Captain Cook

slang A brief glance or inspection; a look. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "Captain Cook" rhymes with "look." (Captain James Cook was an 18th-century British navigator.) Primarily heard in UK. I think you better take a Captain Cook at this—the entire file has been deleted! Can I have a Captain Cook at the map? Please tell me that the boss had a Captain Cook at the memo before you sent it to the whole department.