Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BUSH-LEAGUE

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connect today's word to others: Think of a rural wooded area, full of wild trees and bushes, far removed from any thriving cities you'd call ur___e (cool, cultured, and sophisticated). Keeping that rugged backcountry in mind, you can see why the word bush sometimes means "crude, rough, untrained, unpolished, unsophisticated, unqualified," as in "bush furniture," "bush manners," and, yikes, "bush surgery." Now let's talk baseball. A bush league is a minor baseball league, originally formed out in the backcountry, with players whose skills are just alright, mediocre, underwhelming, m___ling (just okay, but not great), or ser____able (good enough, but not amazing).  Add a hyphen to "bush league" and we get a colorful adjective that means the opposite of "big-league" in any sense: "a bush-league politician," "her first bush-league novels," "it's a bush-league version of an Oreo." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "BUSH-LEAGUE" Someone or something bush-league is NOT famous and NOT skilled or excellent, in a way that reminds you of a mediocre, small-time baseball league. Pronunciation: BUSH leeg Part of speech: Adjective: "their bush-league errors," "these errors are bush-league." Other forms: The nouns are "bush league(s)" and, for the people, either "busher(s)" or "bush leaguer(s)." How to use it: "Bush-league" is a funny, colorful alternative to words like "two-bit," "small-time," "rookie," "rinky-dink," and "second-string." Just keep in mind its insulting tone. You might talk about bush-league professionals, like bush-league writers, politicians, chess players, and of course, athletes (in any sport, not just baseball). Or, talk about bush-league products and performances, like bush-league supplies, equipment, articles, speeches, and game play. Or, point out someone's bush-league moves, ploys, tactics, strategies, errors, mistakes, antics, shenanigans, lapses in judgment or professionalism, etc. examples: The restaurant refuses to update its bush-league website, a slow-loading relic from 1998 complete with loud wallpaper, animated gifs, a scrolling marquee of text, and frames. "At its worst, anthropomorphism, the fallacy of attributing human characteristics to nonhumans, leads us to imbue animals with our perceptions and motives, reducing the worldview of another species to a bush-league version of our own."    — Alex Halberstadt, New York Times, 3 July 2014 study it: Explain the meaning of "bush-league" without saying "two-bit" or "unprofessional." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "As a bush-league (type of professional) in (some year or period), (someone) was (doing some low-level task, or making some low wage)." Example: "As a bush-league tutor in undergraduate school, I was editing papers for $6.75 an hour." before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "Inspired by, but in no way associated with, Jeopardy!" In each issue, I'll create three "answers" for you, and you supply the "questions." (That is, you'll respond in the form of a question, like "What is...?" or "Who is...?") From the previous issue: 1. Category: Where Did the Soda Go? Answer: It means "occasional, incidental, not continuous but full of separate episodes." Question: What is "episodal"? (Yes, the more common adjective is "episodic.") 2. Category: Inconsonant. Answer: This kind of person—or species—exploits circumstances to their own advantage: OOUI. Question: What is an opportunist? 3. Category: Bombastic Bywords. Answer: Not everything that coruscates is made auriferously. Question: What is "All that glitters is not gold"? Try these today: 1. Category: Inconsonant. Answer: Often cited as a humorously long word, this is the belief that the Church of England should not be dissolved: AIIEAIEAIAI. 2. Category: Bombastic Bywords. Answer: It's a spectacle for afflicted optical organs. 3. Category: Same Name. Answer: Supermarket chain in Missouri, Legally Blonde lead Elle, athlete Tiger. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of BUSH-LEAGUE is A. NIT-PICKED. B. TOP-FLIGHT. C. ANYTHING-GOES. 2. We were shocked by the school's bush-league media center, with its _____. A. sleek rows of late-model computers B. ripped paperbacks and tattered last-century TIME issues C. displays inviting students to explore banned books and gender issues Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B