small time
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noun (in vaudeville)
a circuit of minor theaters giving three or more shows daily.
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Origin of small time
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
Words nearby small time
small solar system body, small stores, small stuff, smallsword, small talk, small time, small-town, small white, small wonder, smalt, smaltite
Definition for small time (2 of 2)
small-time
[ smawl-tahym ]
/ ˈsmɔlˈtaɪm /
adjective
of modest or insignificant size, importance, or influence: a small-time politician.
Origin of small-time
First recorded in 1910–15
OTHER WORDS FROM small-time
small-timer, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use small time in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for small time
small-time
adjective
informal insignificant; minora small-time criminal
Derived forms of small-time
small-timer, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with small time
small time
A modest or minor level of achievement, as in Her success took her out of the small time to prime-time television. This expression was originally used in vaudeville for second-rate theaters and productions. [Early 1900s] Also see big time, def. 2.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.