Crossword Genius

Make the square into an octagon and do it the easy way (3,7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cut corners

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

'an octagon and do it the easy way' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I cannot tell whether it can be defined by this definition.

'make the square' is the wordplay.
'make' becomes 'cut' (cutting is a kind of making).
'the square' becomes 'corners' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'cut'+'corners'='CUT CORNERS'

'into' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cut corners that I've seen before include "Skimp on effort" , "Miss out things to save money" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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