Theme: The X Factor - Four grid spanners! The three Across ones start with the admonition for RR safety and the Down is when you should use it.
17A. Visit the local watering hole : STOP IN FOR A DRINK
38A. "Let's try a different approach" : LOOK AT IT THIS WAY
59A. "Pay attention" : "LISTEN CAREFULLY"
7D. What one does after observing reminders that start 17-, 38- and 59-Across : CROSSES THE TRACK
Good Moron here. ;~) Two grid spanning entries yesterday and four today. What will tomorrow bring? Fewer proper names than yesterday, too. Any nit about TRACK being singular, see the constructor's note at the bottom.
Across:
1. Windy City paper, familiarly : TRIB
5. Baroque musical family : BACHs. These guys.
10. "__, can you see ..." : O SAY
14. Like molasses : OOZY
15. "Snowy" bird : EGRET. The cattle egret didn't make the discussion the other day.
16. Nevada gambling city : RENO
20. Honda Accord, e.g. : SEDAN
21. In concert : AS ONE
22. San Diego attraction : ZOO. Isn't that the one whose animals would visit Johnny on the Tonight Show?
23. "I can't remember it, Miss Ilsa. I'm a little rusty on it" speaker : SAM. Clip.(1:23)
25. Give a barbiturate to : SEDATE
27. Breaks, as in a wall : GAPS
30. Lambs' moms : EWEs. "Ewe must remember this...."
32. Arctic dwellers of Scandinavia : LAPPS. Mostly of Finland. Map.
35. Shortened, as a dict. : ABR. Abbreviation of abbreviation. 9:07 I got too cute for my own good; ABR is "abridged".
36. Yaks : JAWS
37. Lovers' lane pace : STROLL
41. Ship with rich cargo : ARGOSY. It seems the name came from Ragusa, an ancient city on the island of Sicily.
42. Feature of many Viking helmets : HORN. Just a myth, I understand.
43. Immigrant's subj. : ESL. English as a Second Language.
44. Longtime senator Thurmond : STROM. He set record for oldest serving member at 94 years (1997), then set the then-record for longest cumulative tenure in the Senate at 43 years (1997), increasing to 47 years, 6 months at his retirement in January 2003, surpassed by Robert Byrd in July 2006. He was the only senator ever to serve at the age of 100. He represented South Carolina.
45. "What __ got here is a failure to communicate": "Cool Hand Luke" : WE'VE. Clip.(0:10)
46. Private's group : ARMY
47. Draw out : ELICIT
49. Smidgen : DAB
51. Hef's party garb : PJs
53. Mother-of-pearl : NACRE. Haven't had this word in awhile. Image.
55. Smidgen : TRACE
62. From the U.S. : AMER.
63. Implied : TACIT
64. Rain hard : POUR
65. Neat as a pin : TIDY
66. Signed : INKED
67. It may follow You online : TUBE. Certainly see a lot of it here.
Down:
1. Distribute the dressing on : TOSS
2. Mechanical learning : ROTE
3. Polo rival : IZOD. Shirts.
4. Detour : BYPASS
5. Affleck of "The Town" : BEN
6. Belgium-based imaging company : AGFA. AGFA was the abbreviation for Aktien-Gesellschaft für Anilin-Fabrikation, given in 1873 to a company that had been founded in Berlin in 1867.
8. Parade honorees : HEROES
9. Witness's place : STAND
10. Bruin great Bobby : ORR
11. Successfully stage a coup : SEIZE POWER
12. __ Domini : ANNO
13. Beatle bride : YOKO
18. Words with pickle or jam : IN A
19. Traded, as goods : DEALT IN
24. Substantial : MEATY
26. Hold hands? : TARS. Tricky; hold aboard ship, ergo, the hands are sailors, i.e. TARS
27. Dance balls, e.g. : GALAs
28. Call off the launch : ABORT
29. Got somewhere : PROGRESSED
31. Teens conflict: Abbr. : WW I. The Great War (1914 - 1918, hence the teen conflict) was just World War from its occurrence until 1939, when it no longer was the "war to end war" and became WW I.
33. Proto- finish : PLASM. Protoplasm is the living contents of a cell that is surrounded by a plasma membrane.
34. With cunning : SLYLY
36. Tea-flavoring flower : JASMINE
37. Rip to pieces : SHRED
39. Smoke with menthol : KOOL
40. "Mazel __!" : TOV. "Good Luck!"
45. Certain goddess worshiper : WICCAN
46. Sudden : ABRUPT
48. "Pleeease?" : "CAN'T I?". "All the other kids are doing it!" or going or wearing, etc., ad infinitum.
50. Justice Dept. raiders : ATF. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is commonly referred to as "the ATF".
51. Land map : PLAT
52. Guitarist Hendrix : JIMI. He was left-handed. Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (3:50) I'm not to sure of the lyrics that accompany the video.
54. Spooky-sounding lake : ERIE
56. Baseball family name : ALOU
57. Night spot : CLUB
58. Brontë's Jane : EYRE. If you got the time, check out all the different book covers.
60. Take a stab at : TRY
61. JFK update : ETD. "What time does your flight leave New York?"
Argyle
Constructors' note:
Don came up with this theme idea. We originally have STOP*, LOOK* & LISTEN* intersecting CROSSING THE ROAD. Rich proposed CROSS(ES) THE TRACK as a unifier. He mentioned "Stop, look and listen" is the mantra for crossing railroad tracks, not just any road. This grid taught me it's not easy to make a Monday/Tuesday puzzle. We had to let go nice entries like DEAD AIR (for 19D) to remove a few answers which did not fit Rich's early week bill.
