Crossword Genius

It’s hard to cut the string (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

severe

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'it's hard to' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'cut the string' is the wordplay.
'cut' becomes 'sever' (to sever is to cut or split).
'the string' becomes 'e' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'sever'+'e'='SEVERE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for severe that I've seen before include "Extreme - strict" , "Strict and unbending" , "Harsh and stern" , "Forbidding in action or appearance" , "Austere, spartan" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.