A game cut short (7)
I believe the answer is:
abridge
'cut short' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a game' is the wordplay.
'game' becomes 'bridge' (bridge is a kind of game).
'a'+'bridge'='ABRIDGE'
(Other definitions for abridge that I've seen before include "Make shorter in brigade" , "(US) cattle-pen" , "Abbreviate, contract" , "Shorten written work" , "Tighten up" .)