Abandons doctor before operations (5)
I believe the answer is:
drops
'abandons' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'doctor before operations' is the wordplay.
'doctor' becomes 'dr' (abbreviation).
'before' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'operations' becomes 'ops' (abbreviation).
'dr'+'ops'='DROPS'
(Other definitions for drops that I've seen before include "Delivers" , "treatment for eyes" , "Stops" , "Relinquishes" , "Falls" .)