大哥大 dates back to at least the Sino-Japanese war. It's northern slang equivalent in meaning and connotation to "da boss" (eg. the term is mostly used sarcastica

大哥大 dates back to at least the Sino-Japanese war. It's northern slang equivalent in meaning and connotation to "da boss" (eg. the term is mostly used sarcastically). I've never heard anybody use it as a term for cellphones. So no, the term predates Orwell.