Ever wondered about the origins of the phrase “head honcho”? I always just assumed it was a word in Spanish because it ends in “o”. Yeah, I guess I’m racist. Just be happy I didn’t say that the word is Mexican. Okay-o?

Dictionary.com defines it as “a leader, esp. an assertive leader; chief”. The word honcho is actually Japanese – han (squad) + cho (head, chief).

This vocabulary lesson was inspired by the show Dogfights on The History Channel. The term honcho was often used during the Korean war to label skilled enemy pilots.

Ever watch that show by the way? I love it.