A shimbob is a journeyman
construction worker or handyman who knows a trick or two, but rarely the best way to finish a project. It is a sarcastic
portmanteau of the words shim and plumb bob, implying the person shims something to be functional instead of making it plumb.
Although it sounds like a Britishism, it is chiefly American, originating in the 1970s. The word is a
double entendre that humorously alludes to common redneck American names such as Jim Bob and Billy Bob.
A group of shimbobs is referred to as a patch.