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.
I hired a shimbob to tile the shower
floor, and he grouted the corners. I'
m tired of all the shimbobbery that's visibly present in this house. I'll just have to do it myself when I have
time.