Son cuts reeds (5)
I believe the answer is:
saxes
'reeds' is the definition.
(sax is a kind of reed)
'son cuts' is the wordplay.
'son' becomes 's' (genealogical abbreviation for son).
'cuts' becomes 'axes' (both can mean to cancel or dismiss).
's'+'axes'='SAXES'
I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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