Head Honcho

“Who’s the Head Honcho around here?”

You may have heard that phrase from time to time. Head Honcho is another name for the boss, commander, or anyone in charge. It comes from the Japanese han-cho, which is roughly translated to “squad leader”. For the most part, this was meant to denote a corporal or sergeant.

The Americanized version became popular during WWII and Korea and is one of several Japanese phrases that found its way into the American vernacular.