short time—
1. fewer than the regular number of hours allotted to daily or weekly work:
- 80,000 textile workers were flung out of work, and thousands more were on short time.
2. (sl.) a brief visit to a prostitute:
- They [sailors] make straight for the nearest bar and then on to the brothel for what is known in the jargon as “a short time.”
small time—said of smth. that does not bring much profit or receives little public notice:
- In these years occur the first productions of all Shaw’s early plays. Commercially, it was
small time. Cf.: big time—said of a very high level of attainment:
- Jason is doing extremely well for a freshman and his winning goal against Indiana was big time.
Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase thin time—(coll.) a miserable, unhappy period:
- The Germans are having a thin time at present, but they have a past they can recall, and they still have a hope of the future.
See also: short hours / small hours.