Curtail, truncate (3,5)
I believe the answer is:
cut short
This clue is a double definition.
'curtail' is the first definition.
(synonyms)
'truncate' is the second definition.
(synonyms)
(Other definitions for cut short that I've seen before include "Interrupt" , "Stopped talking" , "instruction to army barber" , "Abbreviate" , "ended prematurely" .)