Gets ready, with cuts in advance? (8)
I believe the answer is:
prepares
'gets ready' is the definition.
('prepare' can be a synonym of 'get ready')
'cuts in advance?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'cuts' could be 'pares' (paring is a kind of cutting) and 'pares' is located in the answer.
'in advance?' could be 'pre' (prefix meaning 'before') and 'pre' is found in the answer.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'with' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for prepares that I've seen before include "Arranges" , "Makes or gets ready" , "Makes ready in advance" .)