Half cut, is he? (3)

I believe the answer is:

hal

'he?' is the definition.

'half cut' is the wordplay.
'cut' means to remove the last letter.
'half' with its last letter taken off is 'HAL'.

'is' is the link.

(Other definitions for hal that I've seen before include "Henry (diminutive)" , "Falstaff's prince (H.IV)" , "Falstaff's Prince; 2001 computer" , "future Henry V" , "Shakespeare's Prince_with Falstaff" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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