to organize, supervise, or be the leader of: She volunteered to honcho the new project.
Origin: 1945–50; < Japn hanchō squad or group leader, equiv. to han squad (< MChin, equiv. to Chin bān) + -chō eldest, chief (< MChin, equiv. to Chin zhǎng)
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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Word Origin & History
honcho
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.
[hon-choh] 
noun, plural -chos, verb Slang.