Crossword Genius

Cut fruit, say (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pare

'cut' is the definition.
(I know that pare is a type of cut)

'fruit say' is the wordplay.
'fruit' becomes 'pear' (pear is a kind of fruit).
'say' shows a homophone (sound like).
'pear' sounds like 'PARE'.

(Other definitions for pare that I've seen before include "Whittle" , "Trim by cutting" , "Shave, say, pencil" , "Trim off in layers" , "Trim by slicing" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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