Cut short, left work (3)

I believe the answer is:

lop

Here is my best explanation:

'cut' is the definition.
(lopping is a kind of cutting)

'short left work' is the wordplay.
'short' indicates taking the first letters.
'work' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus).
The initial letter of 'left' is 'l'.
'l'+'op'='LOP'

This clue was last seen in Evening Standard