Well, the result (sic) of last weeks survey are in, and tentatively support my conclusion that nobody much likes clues in the form of “see 593 down”. (I’ll definitely agree with the summary of “too clever by half”. They’re hard to resist for a constructor, but really they’re for his benefit rather than the solvers.) Thus, I’m giving them a rest for the foreseeable future. What you’ll see instead (and perhaps still find to be overused) are parallel constructions in clues, which can often be used in the same places as those annoying cross-references. Thus, this puzzle gives you closely linked pairs of clues such as ‘”Found it!”‘/'”No, I didn’t find it after all”‘ or ‘Marks for señoras and niños’/’Capital filled with señoras and niños’. Your mileage may vary on these sorts of clues, but they’re at least a variety that I know I enjoy when I’m solving other folks’ puzzles.
Title: Tender Streak
Difficulty: Wednesday
Download: Across Lite or printable PNG (w/ solution)