honcho
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
honcho
- /ˈhɑn.t͡ʃoʊ/ US
- /ˈhɒn.tʃəʊ/ UK
Rhymes with -ɒntʃəʊ
Where it comes from
From Japanese 班(はん)長(ちょう) (hanchō, “squad leader”), from 19th c. Mandarin 班長 /班长 (bānzhǎng, “team leader”). Probably entered English during World War II: many apocryphal stories describe American soldiers hearing Japanese prisoners-of-war refer to their lieutenants as hanchō.
noun honchos · honchoes
- Boss, leader. Says they had no choice. Says the NVA killed the old honcho when he said no. Now he says all the rice is theirs.
verb honchos · honchoing · honchoed
- To lead or manage. I had never honchoed that many people so even something as simple as ordering them to knead dough or fondant became an important decision.
