Small-time means operating on a minor scale and of little importance. A small-time dealer.
It is dismissive and usually said by somebody who is not much bigger. A small-time operation survives precisely by being too small to be worth anybody's attention.
1adjectivesmall-timeOperating on a minor scale and of little importance.
“He was a small-time landlord with three flats and endless opinions.”
small-time is a quality.