Crossword Genius

Cut end of sprig carried by a newly-wed (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

abridge

'cut' is the definition.
('abridge' can be a synonym of 'cut')

'end of sprig carried by a newly-wed' is the wordplay.
'end of' suggests the final letters.
'carried by' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'newly wed' becomes 'bride' (I've seen this in other clues).
The last letter of 'sprig' is 'g'.
'a'+'bride'='abride'
'g' inserted within 'abride' is 'ABRIDGE'.

(Other definitions for abridge that I've seen before include "trim" , "Edit down" , "Make a precis of" , "Shorten for e.g. radio" , "Big read (anag) - shorten text" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.