Definition

1. Noun:

   • A petty trader; a small-scale broker: Refers to an individual who engages in minor, often informal, buying and selling or brokerage activities, typically with very small capital and profit margins. The term often carries a connotation of insignificance or struggling business.
   • A pettifogger; a petty agent: Can describe someone who handles very minor, sometimes dubious, intermediary deals or legal matters.

2. Adjective (used attributively):

   • Petty; small-time; minor: Describes trade, business, or activities that are on a very small, insignificant scale.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Cô ấy làm nghề cò con, buôn bán tấm vải nhỏ. (She works as a petty trader, dealing in small pieces of fabric.)
  • Anh ta chỉ là một tay cò con trong thị trường bất động sản. (He is just a small-time broker in the real estate market.)

• Adjective:

  • Công việc cò con ấy chẳng đem lại bao nhiêu lợi nhuận. (That petty trade doesn't bring much profit.)
  • Họ sống bằng những vụ mua bán cò con. (They live off minor buy-and-sell deals.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used pejoratively to contrast with larger, more established businesses or brokers ("cò lớn"). It emphasizes the small scale and sometimes the precarious or non-professional nature of the activity.

Variants and Related Words

• Cò (n): A general term for a broker, middleman, or scalper (e.g., in tickets, real estate). "Cò con" is a diminutive form.
• Buôn bán nhỏ lẻ (v): to retail; to engage in small-scale trade.
• Đầu nậu (n): a big-time broker or dealer (often contrasted with "cò con").

Synonyms

• Petty trader
• Small-time broker
• Huckster (for minor, sometimes aggressive selling)
• Pettifogger (especially for trivial or shady legal matters)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Làm ăn cò con: to do business in a petty, small-scale way.
  • Cả đời ông ấy chỉ làm ăn cò con. (His whole life, he only engaged in petty business.)
• Đầu cơ cò con: to engage in minor speculation.
  • Anh ấy thích đầu cơ cò con trên thị trường chứng khoán. (He likes to dabble in minor speculation on the stock market.)

1. Petty
   • buôn bán cò con
     to be a petty trader