Q&A: The origin of ‘head honcho’

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we're playing head games..

Q: Hi AWC, where does “head honcho” come from?

A: It’s an interesting one. It’s mainly an American informal phrase that Merriam-Webster lists as “the person with the most authority”.

Q: That’s it. But we also use it here in Australia.

A: It has spread everywhere, true. And our own Macquarie Dictionary has it listed as a colloquial term for “a person with the greatest authority or power”.

Q: How does it differ from a regular “honcho”?

A: Not by much actually! Macquarie lists “honcho” as “a person in power; boss”. Likewise, Merriam-Webster has “honcho” synonymous with a “boss”.

Q: Pretty similar!

A: True, but in terms of usage, you’re far more likely to see the longer “head honcho” – even if the “head” part is a little redundant. It adds extra emphasis!

Q: Fair enough. So, where does “honcho” come from? I’m thinking Spanish, like a “poncho” raincoat. Yeah?

A: Nope. Wrong culture entirely. “Honcho” actually comes from Japanese – specifically from their word “hanchō”, which means “leader of a squad or group” (han = squad, chō = leader).

Q: Japanese! Oh, okay. But why?

A: At the end of World War II, there was a big American presence in Japan, and during this time the word “hanchō” appears to have been linked to soldiers in charge of Japanese prisoner of war camps. This included American, British and Australian soldiers.

Q: So the 1940s?

A: Yeah, it seems recorded in print in 1947, although likely in use earlier.  It then became a much bigger thing during the Korean War of the early 1950s and military circles.

Q: Hmmm, the military usually has rows, not circles. “Attennnnnntion!”

A: Haha, okay, military rows then.

Q: How did “hanchō” then become “honcho”?

A: It’s likely a simple case of mishearing the original pronunciation. After all, imagine an American sergeant-major yelling the word – it could easily sound like “honcho”. Many of the original American soldiers simply spelt it this way back during the war.

Q: And when did it escape the ranks of military usage?

A: “Escape the ranks” – nice.

Q: Thank you.

A: It was the 1960s when the term made its way to mainstream American culture. During the 1964 election campaign, a campaign manager for Democrats candidate Barry Goldwater used the terms “honcho” and “head honcho” to describe who was making the decisions. This seems to be the earliest recording of “head” being added to the front.

Q: Because sometimes the voting public need an extra nudge…

A: Something like that. And since the 1960s, the use of it has become more about the boardroom than the military parade ground. It has been common to see a CEO referred to as a “head honcho”, although there is some evidence that usage has dropped in recent years as people are unsure if it is offensive.

Q: Yeah, that sounds about right. They probably think it’s insulting to Mexicans.

A: They probably do.

Q: Are there many Japanese words that have come across to English?

A: Not a lot actually. There are of course some clearly Japanese-origin things like “bonsai”, “haiku”, “anime”, “origami”, “sushi” or “wasabi” and so on. But in terms of more generic things, a “futon” bed is an example, as is “bokeh” – a photography term for the out of focus circles behind a sharp image. Others include “tsunami”, “samurai”, “kamikaze”, “sudoku”, “ninja”, “rickshaw”, “karaoke” and even “emoji”!

Q: Eggplants and peaches have never been the same.

A: One final Japanese word is “tycoon” – from the Japanese word “taikun” (“great lord or shogun”) and switching its meaning to “important person” in 1860s English to describe Abraham Lincoln. Today, of course, it’s just another way of saying…

Q: Head honcho!

A: Correct. And that brings us full circle…

Q: It’s NOT a circle, it’s a row!!

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