Cheese cut short (4)
I believe the answer is:
brie
'cheese' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'cut short' is the wordplay.
'cut' means to remove the last letter.
'short' becomes 'brief' ('brief' can be similar in meaning to 'short').
'brief' with its last letter taken off is 'BRIE'.
(Other definitions for brie that I've seen before include "dairy product" , "Food" , "Soft and creamy mild white cheese" , "Soft, creamy French cheese" , "cheesy stuff" .)