The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word CURTAIL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
U
R
T
A
I
L
More clues leading to the result CURTAIL
- Reduce sharp pain
- Poor dog, its appropriate part cut short
- Nasty dog — dog to put a restriction on
- Mongrel dog – what it wags cut short
- Rotter meets end in dock
- A couple of dogs slim down
- Restrict dog following dog
- Dog with appendage cut short
- Cut short hanging with altered hem?
- Shorten story heard in support of vicious dog
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Cut short" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cut short = curtail.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CURTAIL mean?
CURTAIL noun- A scroll termination, as of a step, etc.
- To cut short the tail of an animal
- To shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate.
- To limit or restrict, keep in check.