bush league
Inferior, unprofessional quality
Bush league means amateurish, second-rate, or unprofessional.
The term comes from minor league baseball, where teams played in small towns—"the bush"—rather than major cities.
It describes conduct or quality falling short of professional standards: That was a bush league move.
Often hyphenated when used as an adjective before a noun: bush-league tactics.
Below acceptable standards
- subparBelow acceptable quality
- mediocreOf only moderate quality
- shoddyOf poor craftsmanship
- low-gradeOf poor quality
substandard · below par · minor league · small-time · rinky-dink · two-bit · penny-ante · bargain-basement
Lower-tier professional sports
- semiproPaid part-time athlete
- nonprofessionalOne lacking formal credentials
- recreationalRelated to enjoyment activities
- sandlotInformal urban ballfield
pickup games · farm team · small-time · low-level · second-string · bench player · journeyman · weekend warrior
Arousing scornful pity
- laughableWorthy of derision
- ridiculousInviting scorn through absurdity
- bushMulti-stemmed woody plant
- small-timeOf little significance
rinky-dink · Mickey Mouse · chickenshit · punk · two-bit · sorry · pitiful · low-class
second-rate
Below acceptable standards
low-grade · substandard · below par · minor league · small-time · rinky-dink · two-bit · penny-ante · bargain-basement · bottom-tier
minor league
Lower-tier professional sports
- semiproPaid part-time athlete
- nonprofessionalOne lacking formal credentials
- recreationalRelated to enjoyment activities
sandlot · pickup games · farm team · small-time · low-level · second-string · bench player · journeyman · weekend warrior · hobbyist
pathetic
Arousing scornful pity
- laughableWorthy of derision
- ridiculousInviting scorn through absurdity
- bushMulti-stemmed woody plant
small-time · rinky-dink · Mickey Mouse · chickenshit · punk · two-bit · sorry · pitiful · low-class · tacky
amateurish
Lacking professional skill
- sloppyCareless and untidy
- incompetentLacking necessary skill
- ineptLacking skill or competence
bungling · clumsy · hack · slipshod · careless · haphazard · half-assed · botched · fumbling · crude
- Baseball Slangdinger, heater, K, ribby, tater
- baseballbaseball, bat, pitchers, catchers, pitcher
- Pro Sportsteam, teams, league, players, roster
- Incompetencebungle, failure, botch, inability, blunder
- Insignificant thingstrivial, minor, small, tiny, negligible
- skill levelsbeginner, novice, intermediate, expert, advanced
bush leagueprofessional
Credentialed in one's field
first-rate · top-notch · world-class · first-class · polished
bush leaguemajor league
Highest competitive tier
big league · heavyweight · blue-chip · prestigious · marquee
underbrush, bushfire, bushman, bushwhack, bushiness, bush-league