This puzzle was meant to be for Fortnightly Challenge #35: Restricted Title #1, but due to various reasons I only got around to starting it recently. Constructed with apologies to my friend Atrus.
Pro tip: You can very effectively transform any normal cryptic into a mind reading exercise by withholding half of each clue.
Clues
Across
1 Old relative with rubbish (8)
7 Type of jet lacking wings and lead-free coolant (7)
8 Elton John forgetting couple at rear in confusion (7)
9 Vacant dojo next to unusual blue ad (8)
10 Rose-tinted glasses wearer missing two times around middle of turn (8)
11 Eliminate source of light in dark (5)
13 Voiced character in Lord of the Rings (5)
15 In solitude, I noshed (5)
18 Enigma cracker not first to get around cryptosystem (8)
19 Spidey's co-creator contracted around time before end of year (8)
22 Titanic theme's singer embraces street music genre (7)
23 Essential journal brought back (7)
24 Peter Pan character trimmed diamond pattern, cut third from end (8)
Down
1 Expand falsehood incorporating vacuous truth (9)
2 Insect-induced infection not initially consuming immune system cell (7)
3 Marijuana smoking tool seen around Weasley and Zabini at first (8)
4 Egyptian city with no right to imprison yours truly (5)
5 Trouble surrounding mother interrupting both sides (7)
6 eSport's leader going last following losses (5)
9 Eagle perhaps headed north, going around large ancient city (7)
12 Hair around 12 grams looking back, not 500 (9)
14 Extremely useless chap's inside splitting molecule carrying genetic information (8)
16 One oddly nice in Zilch (7)
17 Nutmeg ultimately playing outranking suit, separately eliminating ten on both sides (7)
20 Finished scrubbing underground (5)
21 East's concealed mahjong quadruplet (5)
Across TEXT (for use with Across Lite)
<ACROSS PUZZLE V2>
<TITLE>
Making Things Difficult
<AUTHOR>
Sp3000
<COPYRIGHT>
2018
<SIZE>
15x15
<GRID>
.XXXXXXXX..X.X.
.X.X.X..XXXXXXX
XXXXXXX.X..X.X.
.X.X.X..X..X.X.
.X.X.X.XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX...X...
.X.X.X.X..XXXXX
.X...XXXXX...X.
XXXXX..X.X.X.X.
...X...XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX.X.X.X.
.X.X..X..X.X.X.
.X.X..X.XXXXXXX
XXXXXXX..X.X.X.
.X.X..XXXXXXXX.
<ACROSS>
Old relative with rubbish (8)
Type of jet lacking wings and lead-free coolant (7)
Elton John forgetting couple at rear in confusion (7)
Vacant dojo next to unusual blue ad (8)
Rose-tinted glasses wearer missing two times around middle of turn (8)
Eliminate source of light in dark (5)
Voiced character in Lord of the Rings (5)
In solitude, I noshed (5)
Enigma cracker not first to get around cryptosystem (8)
Spidey's co-creator contracted around time before end of year (8)
Titanic theme's singer embraces street music genre (7)
Essential journal brought back (7)
Peter Pan character trimmed diamond pattern, cut third from end (8)
<DOWN>
Expand falsehood incorporating vacuous truth (9)
Insect-induced infection not initially consuming immune system cell (7)
Marijuana smoking tool seen around Weasley and Zabini at first (8)
Egyptian city with no right to imprison yours truly (5)
Trouble surrounding mother interrupting both sides (7)
eSport's leader going last following losses (5)
Eagle perhaps headed north, going around large ancient city (7)
Hair around 12 grams looking back, not 500 (9)
Extremely useless chap's inside splitting molecule carrying genetic information (8)
One oddly nice in Zilch (7)
Nutmeg ultimately playing outranking suit, separately eliminating ten on both sides (7)
Finished scrubbing underground (5)
East's concealed mahjong quadruplet (5)
<NOTEPAD>
Pro tip: You can very effectively transform any normal cryptic into a mind reading exercise by withholding half of each clue.
