tin-pot business
- noun
- Offensive
:
empresa de pacotilla
- He was tired of working for a tin-pot business with no real chance for advancement.
Examples
-
Despite starting as a tin-pot business, they eventually grew into a respected company.
-
Many considered their tin-pot business a joke compared to established firms in the industry.
-
That company is just a tin-pot business!
-
Many people see his startup as a tin-pot business.
-
He was tired of working for a tin-pot business that lacked resources and professionalism.
-
Many considered their tin-pot business unreliable compared to larger companies.
-
Despite being a tin-pot business, they always tried to offer great service to their customers.
Synonyms
A small badly run business or group that seems unimportant
How Professional
24
2.7
∞
1.9
- Canadian
11
2.8
- Offensive
- Offensive
2
8.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
tin-pot + business
The parts 'tin' (a cheap metal) and 'pot' (a small container) cue cheapness or smallness, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents could plausibly infer that the business is low-quality or insignificant. However, the evaluative meaning (poorly run, unprofessional) is a figurative extension and not fully predictable from the literal words, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Tin-pot business probably comes from the image of a cheap tin pot that bends or breaks easily and looks poor. That's why a tin-pot business means a company that is small, badly run, or 'unimportant'.