Head Honcho

Etymology:

• The phrase is originated from the Japanese word “hanchu” meaning “squad leader” (han= squad, chu= chief). During the war in Korea which took place in 1950-1953, this word was used by American soldiers but they changed the spelling from hanchu to honcho and they added a word “head” before it to turn it into a catchy phrase which makes the meaning even more clear. Today the honcho is used to describe a person in charge of something.