"shade-tree," adj.

[Jonathan Lighter]

OED doesn't list the Southern phrase, "shade-tree mechanic," meaning "an amateur mechanic who stereotypically works in the shade of backyard trees."

"Shade-tree," adj., has now been used to mean "amateur," with a broader application :

2000 James V. Smith, Jr. _Force Recon : Death Wind_ (N.Y.: Berkley, 2000) 207 And he knew enough shade-tree psychology to know that he would return to being a smart-ass.

JL

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