Theme: A Little Help - Lend a hand to the last words of the theme entries.
20. Kid's sidewalk business : LEMONADE STAND. Handstand.
29. Nestlé bottled water brand : POLAND SPRING. Handspring.
46. Soda fountain order : VANILLA SHAKE. Handshake.
56. "Applause, applause!" ... or what one might do in front of the last words of 20-, 29- and 46-Across : GIVE THEM A HAND
Argyle here. I bet there are some words you won't see until you read them here. Autofill. And some words you may not have seen before. It would have been nice if all three 'hands' were the same type or all different but it is what it is.
Across:
1. Decorator's asset : TASTE. Especially a cake decorator?
6. PCs made by Big Blue : IBMs. Big Blue is IBM but are the PC's called something else?
10. Casual tête-à-tête : CHAT. Head to head.
14. Part of "Hamlet" in which Ophelia drowns : ACT IV
15. Game with cues : POOL
16. Wife of Zeus : HERA
17. Last word of "The Star-Spangled Banner" : BRAVE
18. Estimate words : OR SO
19. Metrical foot, in poetry : IAMB
23. Sixth sense, briefly : ESP. (extrasensory perception)
24. RR stop : STN. (station)
25. Contented sounds : AHs
26. Air traffic org. : FAA. (Federal Aviation Administration)
32. Director Wertmüller : LINA. Née Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Spañol von Braueich.
35. Young Darth's nickname : ANI. Anakin Skywalker.
36. Army base nickname : SARGE
37. Amo, amas, __ : AMAT
38. Green energy type : SOLAR
41. "The doctor __" : IS IN
42. Monopoly payments : RENTS
44. Summer, in France : ÉTÉ
45. Cancel an edit : STET
50. At least one : ANY
51. Balloon filler : AIR. Hot air, sometimes.
52. Civil Rights Memorial designer Maya __ : LIN
53. "Mamma __!" : MIA
60. Loads (of) : A TON
62. Saddle or sofa : SEAT
63. "Wheel of Fortune" co-host : VANNA White.
64. Bread unit : LOAF
65. Like nonfiction : TRUE
66. DeGeneres of TV talk : ELLEN
67. Pic, in ads : FOTO
68. Skinny Olive and family : OYLs
69. Prefix with foam : STYRO. (ubiquitous plastic)
Down:
1. Place setting setting : TABLE
2. Plowing measures : ACRES
3. Post office purchase : STAMP
4. Binge-watcher's device : TIVO
5. "That being said ... " : "EVEN SO ..."
6. Apple music player : IPOD NANO
7. Dull one : BORE
8. Israeli intelligence group : MOSSAD
9. "Three-toed" leaf eaters : SLOTHS
10. Whiskers spot : CHIN
11. Like swan dives : HEADFIRST
12. Upper limb : ARM
13. Indent key : TAB
21. Book of maps : ATLAS
22. Once-sacred Egyptian snakes : ASPs
27. Woman with an online list : ANGIE
28. Secret __: spy : AGENT
29. Singer LaBelle or LuPone : PATTI
30. Frasier's brother : NILES
31. Pay hike : RAISE
32. Immature insect : LARVA
33. "Know what __?" : I MEAN
34. Billy's barnyard mate : NANNY GOAT
39. Olympic competitors : ATHLETES
40. Adjust one's sights : RE-AIM
43. Czech or Serb : SLAV
47. Fools with a fib : LIES TO
48. Blood carrier : ARTERY
49. Jacks in a deck : KNAVEs
53. Masculine : MANLY
54. Word before circle or city : INNER
55. Hersey's "A Bell for __" : ADANO
57. "Inside" dope : INFO
58. Yield from a heist : HAUL
59. Stop : HALT
60. Furry TV E.T. : ALF. (alien life form)
61. "__ many cooks ... " : TOO. "...spoil the broth".
Argyle
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Happy 58th Birthday to JJM, another thrill-seeker on the blog. Here is a picture of his zip lining in 2010. JJM loves baseball, golf & hockey. I think both of his kids play hockey.
2) Please send thoughts and prayers to Bluehen for his hip surgery this morning.