Oh, Say Can You See ...
18-Across. Invisible impediment in the workplace: GLASS CEILING. A Glass Ceiling is an unofficial barrier to advancement in a profession. This especially impacts women and minorities.
58-Across. Invisible impediment in the sky: SOUND BARRIER. Here is an explanation and some photographs of jets smashing the Sound Barrier.
12-Down. Invisible impediment in the theater: FOURTH WALL. The Fourth Wall is the conceptual barrier between the actors and the audience. The audience can see "through" the wall, but the actors are oblivious to the wall. The television sit-com show, The Office, would allow the actors to break through the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience.
29-Down. Invisible impediment in science fiction: FORCE FIELD.
Across:
1. Former NFL running back Jennings who won "Dancing With the Stars" in 2017: RASHAD. I didn't get off to a good start with today's puzzle, as I am not familiar with RASHAD Jennings (né Rashad Andre Jennings; b. Mar. 26, 1985). In 2009, he was drafted by the Jackson Jaguars. He later played for the Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants. In 2017, he was on Dancing with the Stars. The following year, he joined the show as a judge.
7. Cuban dance: RUMBA. Origins of the Rumba:
12. Govt. Rx watchdog: FDA. As in the Food and Drug Administration, which is housed within the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
15. Give in (to): ACCEDE.
16. Thorny plant: BRIAR.
21. Solar phenomena: SUN SPOTS. Sun Sports are the darker areas that appear in the sun's surface. They are the "cooler" areas on the sun. You can learn more from The National Weather Service.
24. Flub it: ERR.
25. Able to speak easily, as a language: FLUENT. How many languages can you speak?
36. Is in the red: OWES.
40. Designer Jacobs: MARC. Marc Jacobs (b. Apr. 9. 1963) is probably best known for his line of handbags. They are a tad out of my price range.
42. Benevolent: KIND.
44. Paul Newman caper film: THE STING.
48. Full of moxie: FEISTY.
49. Theater segment: ACT. Tricky. I initially thought we were looking for a section of seating in the theater.
61. Twitter guffaw: LOL. Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud. Jimmy received the following text from his mother: "Your professor called to say you failed your math exam. LOL. Mom". He called his mother and said, "What's with the LOL?" She replied, " I just wanted to sent you Lots of Love, because I knew how disappointed you would be with failing the test."
62. Chose (to): OPTED.
63. Bit of ramen: NOODLE. Several years ago, Blue Iris, one of our Blog members, provided a recipe for a Bird Seed Salad that uses Raman Noodles. I make this salad on occasion when I need to bring something to a potluck dinner.
64. Football lineman: END.
65. Prerequisites: NEEDS.
Down:
1. Garb for many a Dickens waif: RAGS.
2. Rights-defending org.: ACLU. As in the American Civil Liberties Union.
5. Marketing jargon: AD SPEAK.
7. Grand slam quartet, in baseball shorthand: RBIs. As in Runs Batted In.
8. Internet address letters: URL. The Uniform Resource Locator makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.
9. 1002, in old Rome: MII. Roman Numerals.
10. Regal meals: BANQUETS.
19. French "to be": ÊTRE. Here it the verb conjugated in the present tense:
Je suis // Nous sommes
Tu es // Vous êtes
Ils / Elles est // Ils / Elles sont
23. Workers' earnings: INCOMES.
26. "Please understand ... ": LOOK.
27. Eight-member ensemble: OCTET. A String Octet typically consists of 4 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos, but I will give you an example of an octet for wind instruments.
33. Basketball Hall of Famer Robertson: OSCAR. Oscar Palmer Robertson (b. Nov. 24, 1938) had a long career in the NBA, first playing for the Cincinnati Royals, then the Milwaukee Bucks. He was also the plaintiff in the 1970 anti-trust lawsuit, Robertson v. National Basketball Association. The lawsuit settled in 1976 and resulted in today's current free agency rules.
39. Clue: HINT.
45. Attaches with rope: TIES ON.
46. Cutting remark: BARB.
51. Micro or macro subj.: ECON. As in Micoreconomics or Macroeconomics.
52. Tacks on: ADDS.
54. Staff helper: AIDE.
56. "__ chic!": TRÈS. More of today's French lesson.
59. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE.
60. Nancy Drew's beau: NED. Ned Nickerson was Nancy Drew's beau. They used to get around in a roadster. I loved this mystery stories when I was a in grade school. The stories were so exotic to this 4th grader.
Here's the Grid:
I'll leave you with a QOD: Prohibition didn’t work in the Garden of Eden. Adam ate the apple. ~ Vincente Fox (b. July 2, 1942), President of Mexico