Crossword Genius

Rugby players upend that man over tense tradesman (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

locksmith

'tradesman' is the definition.
(locksmith is a type of tradesman)

'rugby players upend that man over tense' is the wordplay.
'rugby players' becomes 'locks' (lock is a type of rugby player).
'upend' says the letters should be written in reverse (I've seen 'upending' mean this).
'that man' becomes 'him' (him refers to a man).
'over' indicates putting letters inside.
'tense' becomes 't' (abbreviation used in many dictionaries).
'him' enclosing 't' is 'htim'.
'htim' in reverse letter order is 'mith'.
'locks'+'mith'='LOCKSMITH'

(Other definitions for locksmith that I've seen before include "hairdresser?" , "laughing stock" , "Security expert" , "Maker of secure fasteners" , "Yale scholar" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.