small time
noun (in vaudeville)
a circuit of minor theaters giving three or more shows daily.
QUIZZES
IT’S A WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ BONANZA!
This windfall of words will make you rich with knowledge. Mine your memory on the words from July 27 to August 2!
Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin 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. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for small time
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.