Falstaff, say, with bulge not even ready for surgery (8)
I believe the answer is:
operable
'ready for surgery' is the definition.
(ready to be operated on)
'falstaff say with bulge not even' is the wordplay.
'falstaff say' becomes 'opera' (Falstaff is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'not even' means one should take alternating letters (remove even-numbered letters).
The alternate letters of 'bulge' are 'ble'.
'opera'+'ble'='OPERABLE'
(Other definitions for operable that I've seen before include "Able to function" , "Able to be run" , "Fit for use" , "Capable of being treated surgically" , "Capable of being put into practice" .)