Crossword Genius

English love sailor climbing some rigging (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ratline

'some rigging' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'english love sailor climbing' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'E' (abbreviation).
'love' becomes 'nil' (love and nil mean zero in cricket and football).
'sailor' becomes 'tar' (slang term for a sailor).
'climbing' shows that the letters should be reversed in order (in a down clue, letters climb up).
'e'+'nil'+'tar'='eniltar'
'eniltar' reversed gives 'RATLINE'.

(Other definitions for ratline that I've seen before include "Small rope for climbing on rigging" , "Reliant (anag.)" , "Rope forming part of steps on ship's rigging" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.