Crossword Genius

Dismissed from brotherhood for not working (3,2,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

out of order

'not working' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'dismissed from brotherhood' is the wordplay.
'dismissed' becomes 'out' (dismissed in cricket).
'from' becomes 'of' (of can mean from or belonging to).
'brotherhood' becomes 'order' (I've seen this in another clue).
'out'+'of'+'order'='OUT OF ORDER'

'for' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for out of order that I've seen before include "expelled from society" , "over the top?" , "functionality problem?" , "unusually arranged" , "Ex-nun is" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app