CONTRACTORSPROTRACTORS

STUCKOUTLIKEASORETHUMBHitchhiked with a hangnail, in Valleyspeak? JOSEPHINEDEBEAUHARNAISThe first wife of Napoleon I and the first Empress of the French FARFROMTHEMADDINGCROWDThomas Hardy novel whose title comes from Thomas Gray's poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard JUNEISBUSTINOUTALLOVERSong and dance number from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel THOUSANDISLANDDRESSINGSauce made with mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, tabasco and chopped gherkins INTERNATIONALWOMENSDAYMarch 8 observance connecting billions of people around the world … including the 22 people whose names cross this answer ITSALLDOWNHILLFROMHERE"Things are only going to get worse" ... or a hint to answering the seven italicized clues in this puzzle AMERICANPITBULLTERRIERSee 32 LETMECALLYOUSWEETHEARTPopular song by Leo Friedman and Beth Slater Whitson published in 1910 and first recorded by The Peerless Quartet MARISATOMEIITSAMEMARIOGreeting from a famous Italian character to a famous Italian American actress? EXONERATINGGENERATIONXForgiving middle-aged dads for their dad jokes, say? CHECKMATINGCHICKMAGNETReal chess playa? STREETLEGALLETSGETREAL"You think that hunk of junk'll pass inspection? Please!"? TECHNOCRATSTRENCHCOATSAttire for Larry Page and Sergey Brin when visiting Google incognito?