Each clue is two crossword clues weaved together:
7a. | COMMON | DETAIL | Rare and uncommon alternative | Workers for a specific task |
8a. | ANIMATED | PROTOCOL | Like children's shows | Code of conduct |
9a. | BARRIERS | CHANGING | Fences or hedges | Causing a metamorphosis |
10a. | EITHER | MARTHA | Flexible person's answer | First first lady |
11a. | PLEASE | BRIGHT | Magic word | Intelligent or radiant |
13a. | CASUAL | RECIPE | Laid-back dress code | Colonel's secret, perhaps |
14a. | RIVERS | SETTLE | Colorado, Ohio, and Mississippi | Avoid a trial |
15a. | HAVING | ROBOTS | In possession of | Cheapest factory 'workers' |
18a. | BURNER | PATROL | Stovetop feature | Policeman's assignment |
20a. | GERALD | ROGERS | Mid-70s chief executive | Canadian telecom |
22a. | ACCEPT | STRING | Agree to offer | Only object, in theory |
23a. | DISPATCH | REFERRAL | Haste or communique | Common doctor request |
25a. | EXPENSES | RELIABLE | Business deductions | Trustworthy and bankable |
26a. | EASILY | IMAGES | Without any trouble | They might be graven |
1d. | COOLER | METHOD | Big house nickname | Marlon's popular system |
2d. | PAID | HOUR | Settled the bill | Eleventh or happy |
3d. | INDUSTRY | GOVERNOR | Motto for Utah | Head of state? |
4d. | FATHER | NORMAL | Vader famously | As expected |
5d. | CONNECTORS | INSTALLING | Links, e.g., between dots? | Putting software on your machine |
6d. | GENERATE | VITAMINS | Produce as in electricity | Supplements: A/C, for example |
8d. | POSTAL | TAYLOR | Related to mail | Lord's partner |
12d. | ADVANTAGES | SUPERVISOR | Upper hands in tennis | School boss or court official |
14d. | LEARNERS | SWITCHED | Type of permit | Changed places with |
16d. | ARTISTIC | THREADED | Skilled at painting, possibly | Like some nuts |
17d. | CHORUS | SCREEN | Group of singers | Pass play |
19d. | LAYERS | ARTIST | Onions have some | Munch or Meat Loaf |
21d. | RENTAL | LOCALE | National offering | Event venue |
24d. | SWAP | ANDY | One for one exchange | Toy story child |
These two answers can be weaved together, using half of the letters from each word and discarding the other half, uniquely to fill the grid.
The indicated numbers can be filled with the unused letters discarded in weaving the answers together, and those unused letters spell ONE AS A TIME SNAIL OR ERSTWHILE TRAVELS, crossword clues for FORMER (ONE-TIME OR ERSTWHILE) and SLOWLY (AS A SNAIL TRAVELS). These can also be weaved together uniquely to produce the answer, FLOWER.