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head honcho

German translation: Chef oder Boss

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:head honcho
German translation:Chef oder Boss
Entered by: Ralf Lemster

05:37 Jun 7, 2002
English to German translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial / management ?
English term or phrase: head honcho
often seen in a business related context
Dr.G.MD (X)
Local time: 16:51
Chef oder Boss
Explanation:
This is a colloquial term for the boss of a department, company, etc.

Depending on how colloquial you can afford to be in the translation, you could use "Boss", "El Cheffe", "Obermacker", ...
Selected response from:

Ralf Lemster
Germany
Local time: 16:51
Grading comment
Thank you all. Gerhard
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7Chef oder Boss
Ralf Lemster
4 +4Chef
Alison Schwitzgebel
4 +4Boss, Häuptling, "Capo"
Georg Finsterwald
4 +1OBERGURU
brute (X)


  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
Chef oder Boss


Explanation:
This is a colloquial term for the boss of a department, company, etc.

Depending on how colloquial you can afford to be in the translation, you could use "Boss", "El Cheffe", "Obermacker", ...

Ralf Lemster
Germany
Local time: 16:51
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in pair: 4899
Grading comment
Thank you all. Gerhard

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alison Schwitzgebel: Good morning. Same wavelength, just a minute in it!!!
1 min
  -> ...not even a minute - good morning to you, too!
agree  Geneviève von Levetzow
6 mins
agree  Petra Winter
8 mins
agree  Katrin Suchan
24 mins
agree  Steffen Walter
54 mins
agree  Yuri Dubrov
1 hr
agree  Сергей Лузан
8 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Chef


Explanation:
The "head honcho" is a slangy term for someone who pulls the strings of a company and can throw their weight around to get results...

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Note added at 2002-06-07 06:58:16 (GMT)
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Now here\'s some intelligent information from my hubby. It\'s a Japanese term that was taken into US usage and refers to the head of the Japanese work gangs on the railway.

Well I didn\'t know that!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-06-07 06:59:48 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And confirmed by \"The English expression \"just a skosh \" (just a little) comes from the Japanese word \"sukoshi \", meaning \"a little\". Other cases where a Japanese word has been assigned an English usage include \"Typhoon\", \"Tsunami\", \"Head Honcho \" (Honcho may be an abbreviation of Honbucho, meaning \"the boss\"), and \"Tycoon\" (Originally meaning something to the effect of \"the head guy\"). And of course, \"sushi\", \"sake\" and many other food and drink names. \" http://admissions.ucsc.edu/japan/journals/journal3.html

Alison Schwitzgebel
France
Local time: 16:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 284

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Geneviève von Levetzow
6 mins
agree  Petra Winter
8 mins
agree  Steffen Walter: very interesting!
54 mins
agree  Сергей Лузан: I've heard some it so many times and only now get ti know the origin. They use it in California, don't they.
8 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Boss, Häuptling, "Capo"


Explanation:
http://www.foigm.org/IMG/fermishd.htm
Macher (Ma´-cher): The big cheese; the head honcho; the one with all the connections.

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/dvanhand/1999germ201/emilvo...
Häuptling

http://www.talkiteasy.net/american_english.html
capo



Georg Finsterwald
Germany
Local time: 16:51
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in pair: 173

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Geneviève von Levetzow
2 mins
agree  Petra Winter
4 mins
agree  Steffen Walter
50 mins
agree  Сергей Лузан: "Capo" klingt besonders optimistisch!
7 hrs
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
OBERGURU


Explanation:
.. in accord with colloquial nature of question!

brute (X)
PRO pts in pair: 165

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Сергей Лузан: Genau das sagt man ab und zu in Russland.
1 hr
  -> Hi Sergey, thanx!
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