Crossword Genius

Contract that makes a ferryman redundant? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

abridge

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

'contract' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'a ferryman redundant?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is within the answer.
The remaining letters 'bridge' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'that makes' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for abridge that I've seen before include "trim" , "Big read (anag) - shorten text" , "Edit down" , "Abbreviate, shorten" , "Remove sections" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail and The Guardian.
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