Reportedly joined but actually cut (5)
I believe the answer is:
pared
'cut' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'reportedly joined but actually' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'reportedly' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'pard' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pared that I've seen before include "Cut bit by bit" , "Did prune" , "Of a fruit, peeled" , "Trimmed like pencil." , "Whittled as with pencil" .)