We started with Stack Overflow, a Q&A site for programmers about
programming questions. StackExchange is an attempt to bring that same
technology to other fields besides programming. Cooking, photography,
etc. Each of these sites is a StackExchange. Collectively they are the
StackExchange Network. So when we say "StackExchange" we mean all
these sites, of which there is one big honking granddaddy called Stack
Overflow.
The entries in Webster suggest that honking refers to an object making a loud noise, but that meaning seems off in this context.
What does "honking" mean in this context?
Best Answer
It's actually separated, if you look at the whole phrase. "Big honking [x]" is a colloquial way of saying very big [x]. Granddaddy, in this sense, just means that it is the precursor to the entire Stack Exchange (Stack Overflow was the original).