Crossword Genius

Saw girl, huge, being cut in half (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

adage

'saw' is the definition.
('adage' can be a synonym of 'saw')

'girl huge being cut in half' is the wordplay.
'girl' becomes 'ada' (**).
'being cut in half' indicates taking half.
'huge' with half the letters taken is 'ge'.
'ada'+'ge'='ADAGE'

(Other definitions for adage that I've seen before include "Saying, saw" , "Slogan" , "Old saw" , "Axiom" , "say it again and again!" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app