head honcho
Big cheese type
Head honcho is the person in charge—the boss, the top decision-maker.
The phrase is informal and often slightly playful: Who's the head honcho around here?
You'll need to talk to the head honcho about that.
Honcho alone means the same thing, borrowed from Japanese during the U.S. occupation after World War II.
Top corporate officer
- executiveSenior organizational leader
- bossWorkplace superior
- managerOne who directs others
- directorOne who leads
supervisor · administrator · tycoon · magnate · baron · kingpin · captain of industry · president
One who guides others
- chiefTop-ranking leader
- commanderPerson with authority over others
- overseerOne who monitors work
- controllerDevice directing a system
superintendent · principal · governor · foreman · taskmaster · patriarch · matriarch · authority figure
Influential, powerful person
- big wheelInfluential, powerful person
- top bananaLead performer, informally
- kingfishLarge coastal mackerel species
- muckety-muckInfluential person, often pompous
VIP · main squeeze · capo · godfather · don · ringleader · alpha
Widespread, not specialized
- admiralSenior naval commander
- captainOne who commands
- commandantOfficer overseeing military post
- marshalArrange in proper order
commander-in-chief · officer · strategist · tactician · warlord · five-star
CEO
Top corporate officer
director · supervisor · administrator · tycoon · magnate · baron · kingpin · captain of industry · president · chairman
leader
One who guides others
controller · superintendent · principal · governor · foreman · taskmaster · patriarch · matriarch · authority figure · person in charge
big shot
Influential, powerful person
- big wheelInfluential, powerful person
- top bananaLead performer, informally
- kingfishLarge coastal mackerel species
muckety-muck · VIP · main squeeze · capo · godfather · don · ringleader · alpha
general
Widespread, not specialized
- admiralSenior naval commander
- captainOne who commands
- commandantOfficer overseeing military post
marshal · commander-in-chief · officer · strategist · tactician · warlord · five-star
- workjob, 9 to 5, jobs, labor, employee
- bigwigsbigwig, big shot, big wig, VIP, big kahuna
- bossesboss, bossman, manager, supervisor, foreman
- dominancedominance, dominant, supremacy, superiority, ascendancy
- Leadership idiomslead by example, take the reins, at the helm, call the shots, take charge
- leadership termscaptain, shepherd, helmsman, navigator, pilot