small-bore

[ smawl-bawr, -bohr ]

adjective

1. of, noting, or relating to a .22-caliber firearm.
2. insular or parochial in scope, attitude, etc.:

   small-bore officials.

small-bore

adjective

1. (of a firearm) having a small bore, especially one of less than .22 calibre

Word History and Origins

Origin of small-bore¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

And his crimes, according to the indictment, were at times so exceedingly small-bore that it expands the imagination to consider how little it takes to buy off some elected officials.

From Slate

Although damage from the attack was relatively light, the scope of the strikes went well beyond the small-bore tit-for-tat shadow war between Iran and Israel in recent years, crossing a red line by firing weapons from Iranian territory into Israeli territory.

From New York Times

Most of the rest of the performance — which touched on more than a dozen songs — was grander in scale, designed to fill a football field: A small-bore, granular-gestured showcase gave way to an explosive party.

From New York Times

Yes, it was militantly anti-message, building small-bore farces around four single, child-free New Yorkers who had an inordinate amount of time to sit in a diner.

From New York Times

Mr. Wade had already made history, in 2011, as the first Black man to be appointed to a judgeship in the city of Marietta, Ga. As an associate judge for the Marietta Municipal Court, he dealt with small-bore matters like traffic stops.

From New York Times