small time, adjectival phrase

Origin:
From (mainly U.S.) theatrical slang small-time second-rate, small-scale.
slang
In urban (especially township) English: of or pertaining to the lowest type of township drinking establishment or shebeen. Often in the collocation small time joint. See also shebeen sense 1.
1973 P. Becker in The 1820 Vol.46 No.7, 32The lowest class shebeens, known in some townships as Small Time Joints, are patronized by rough-necks and ne’er-do-wells.
1977 P.C. Venter Soweto 124Bantu beer..is considered a cheap drink fit only for cheap shebeens, those Small Time Joints where they add water to the beer to make it last longer.
1982 Voice 10 Jan. 3Though several ‘Big Time’ and ‘Small Time’ shebeeners did not want to be identified, they expressed certain fears over the procedure of legalisation.
1983 Pace Dec. 152The ‘small time joints’, patronised by..tsotsi gangs..and ‘hesh girls’..seldom carry stocks of the better-known brands of liquor.
of or pertaining to the lowest type of township drinking establishment or shebeen. Often in the collocation small time joint.
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19731983

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slang
small claims court, noun phrasen. phr.smasher, nounn.
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