to organize, supervise, or be the leader of: She volunteered to honcho the new project.
Origin: 1945–50; < Japanesehanchō squad or group leader, equivalent to han squad (< Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinesebān) + -chō eldest, chief (< Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinesezhǎng)
1947, Amer.Eng. "officer in charge," from Japanese hancho "group leader," from han "corps, squad" + cho "head, chief." Picked up by U.S. servicemen in Japan and Korea, 1947-1953.
n. the head man; the boss. (Useable for either sex.) : The marketing honcho couldn't say when the product would be on the shelves.
tv. to manage or boss something. : I'll honcho it until Larry gets here.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
The mayhem begins when the head honcho of a financially struggling studio turns a lost dog into a legend.
He had ambitions, of course, but becoming head honcho was not among them.
In fact, in light of the honcho's preview, it seemed rather good.
Let's say your old boss is gone and the new head honcho is not aware of all your glorious achievements.
Thirty minutes with the campus chief honcho versus years of collegial scrutiny.