Crossword Genius

Area final curtailed, sadly (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alas

'sadly' is the definition.
('alas' is used to express regret)

'area final curtailed' is the wordplay.
'area' becomes 'a' (maths abbreviation).
'final' becomes 'last' (synonyms).
'curtailed' means to remove the last letter.
'last' with its last letter taken off is 'las'.
'a'+'las'='ALAS'

(Other definitions for alas that I've seen before include "express regret thus" , "Cry of grief" , "I'm sorry to say" , "Interjection of sorrow" , "Exclamation of misfortune" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.