Work exploit raised huge cuts (5)
I believe the answer is:
tosca
'work' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'exploit raised huge cuts' is the wordplay.
'exploit' becomes 'act' (I've seen this before).
'raised' says the letters should be written in reverse (going up in a down clue).
'huge' becomes 'os' (abbreviation for outsize).
'cuts' is an insertion indicator (a group of letters 'cuts' into another word).
'act' in reverse letter order is 'tca'.
'tca' placed around 'os' is 'TOSCA'.
(Other definitions for tosca that I've seen before include "Coats off for a great opera" , "Photographic device" , "role for diva" , "18 [OPERA]" , "Opera heroine who leaps to her death" .)