small-time
[smawl-tahym]
- of modest or insignificant size, importance, or influence: a small-time politician.
Show More
Origin of small-time
First recorded in 1910–15
small time
- a circuit of minor theaters giving three or more shows daily.
Show More
Origin of small time
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for small-time
Contemporary Examples
Last August, a small-time classic rock cover band performed at a bar called 69 Taps in Medina, outside Cleveland.
Did Christie Go Easy on a Sex Trafficker Just to Bust a Small-Time Pol?
The Best of the Beast, March 16-22March 23, 2014
It is simply the best portrait of small-time showbiz hustlers ever made.
Woody Allen’s Best & Worst Movies: ‘Annie Hall’ ‘Match Point’ & More (Video)Malcolm Jones
July 26, 2013
In that case, and not only due to our efforts, Dobbs lost his job on CNN and was moved over to small-time radio.
Ken Diamondstone introduced himself as a small-time developer from Brooklyn.
Historical Examples
It's no job at all to run a bluff on a small-time crook like that.
The Brand of SilenceHarrington Strong
The old school spirit was okay for football games, and even for small-time wars, but he had never felt much of it.
Way of a RebelWalter M. Miller
You may have a year of doing three or four shows a day on "small-time," as it is called, which is splendid experience for you.
The Art of Stage DancingNed Wayburn
small-time
- informal insignificant; minora small-time criminal
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for small-time
adj.
1910, originally theater slang for lower-salaried circuits, or ones requiring more daily performances; from noun phrase (also 1910). Cf. big time.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
Show More
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.