Theme: Letter Progression - All the first words of each 2-word phrase have 6 letters, all in the pattern of "B + vowel + TT??". The middle vowel progresses from A through U.
17A. Military strategy : BATTLE PLAN
21A. Wife, to a humble husband : BETTER HALF
38A. Final unpleasant moment : BITTER END
59A. Net profit or loss : BOTTOM LINE
63A. Rectangular server with a dulledged knife : BUTTER DISH
Argyle here. I ignored the second T because B_T (except for the last one) isn't a word. This puzzle may have had you looking at the calendar. No connection between the theme entries other than they are two word phrases starting with B_TT. Seven vertical letter blocks in the corners.
Update: All except BETT can be a stand alone word.
Update: All except BETT can be a stand alone word.
Across:
1. Mar. parade honoree : ST. PAT
6. Switch for frequency choices : AM/FM
10. Cheep source : NEST
14. “... __ / By any other name ...”: Juliet : A ROSE. A shout out.
15. Room in la casa : SALA
16. Ancient Peruvian : INCA
19. Tennis great Steffi : GRAF
20. Bar mitzvah, for one : RITE
23. Old Roman road : ITER
24. Like an illmannered kid : BRATTY
25. “Wow” : "GEE!"
26. Like Leif Ericson : NORSE
28. It happens : EVENT
30. __ gratia artis: MGM motto : ARS. "Art for art's sake"
31. Made a haunted house sound : MOANED
37. Brainchild : IDEA
40. Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO
43. Canned cooking fuel : STERNO
44. Sleep stage letters : REM
47. No-goodnik : LOUSE
49. Icy look, perhaps : STARE
51. Tummy muscles : ABS
52. Playground apparatus for two : SEESAW
58. Phone sound : "RING"
61. Sailing, say : ASEA
62. __-deucy : ACEY. 56D. Tossed in a chip : ANTED. like for Acey-Deucey. You then bet a portion(or all) of the pot that your card will fall between the two cards the dealer has turned up. Your best bet is if the dealer has an ace and a deuce face up.
65. Eve’s opposite : MORN
66. Songstress Adams : EDIE
67. Prefix meaning “hundred” : CENTI
68. Church recess : APSE
69. Tear to bits : REND
70. Specialized idiom : ARGOT. Was it Reader's Digest that used to have a feature about insider's terms?
Down:
1. TV’s teenage witch : SABRINA
2. Mutineer : TRAITOR
3. Earthenware makers : POTTERS
4. Autumn bloomers : ASTERS
5. __ Aviv : TEL
6. In accordance with : AS PER
7. Mediterranean island country : MALTA
8. Scruggs’s bluegrass partner : FLATT. Lester
9. Impressionist Édouard : MANET
10. At hand : NIGH
11. Really angry : ENRAGED
12. Like triangles with unequal sides : SCALENE. Equilateral, Isosceles and Scalene.
13. Crisp fabric : TAFFETA
18. Tidal movement : EBB
22. Ham sandwich choice : RYE
27. Brit. recording giant : EMI
29. Kid-__: tots’ TV programming : VID
32. NFL fifth periods : OTs
33. ABA member : ATTorney
34. Michelle Obama __ Robinson : NÉE
35. Mess up : ERR
36. Place for thieves : DEN. Leftover from Sunday's puzzle?
38. Sox from Mass. : BOS.
39. Refusals : NO'S
40. University in Tuscaloosa : ALABAMA
41. 1987 title lawenforcing cyborg : "ROBOCOP"
42. Buffing results : LUSTERS
44. Bringing up : RAISING
45. Che Guevara’s first name : ERNESTO
46. Box office smash : MEGA-HIT
48. That, in Tijuana : ESO
50. Word with Joe’s or Vic’s : TRADER. The Albany area will have its first Trader Joe's this spring. Yay!
53. Fireplace bit : EMBER
54. Get away from : ELUDE
55. Protest on the floor : SIT-IN
57. Little, like laddies : WEE
60. Daly of “Cagney & Lacey” : TYNE. Currently can be seen on the TV series, "Burn Notice". Oops! That's Sharon Gless on Burn Notice, regularly, not Tyne Daly.
64. Victrola company : RCA
Argyle
