Crossword Genius

Shorten a crossing (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

abridge

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

'shorten' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'a crossing' 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 see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for abridge that I've seen before include "Abbreviate, contract" , "Shorten (a literary work)" , "Condense, summarise" , "Shorten (eg, text)" , "prune?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail, the Evening Standard and The Sun.
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