Row initially about cuts as an alternative (3)
I believe the answer is:
oar
'row' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'initially about cuts as an alternative' is the wordplay.
'initially' says to take the initial letters.
'cuts' is an insertion indicator (some letters cut their way into other letters).
'as an alternative' becomes 'or' (I've seen this in other clues).
The first letter of 'about' is 'a'.
'a' placed into 'or' is 'OAR'.
(Other definitions for oar that I've seen before include "Bladed implement" , "I'm involved in row" , "Pusher" , "Sweep" , "Scull" .)