Theme: Swine Fever - The first word of the starred clue answers can follow(tail) the word PIG to form a common phrase.
18A. *Typical Valentino roles : LATIN LOVERS. An actor in silent films in the '20s, Rudolph Valentino (Image) became a sex symbol known as the "Latin Lover". His sudden death at age 31 caused mass hysteria among his female fans, propelling him into icon status. PIG LATIN - ig-pay atin-lay.
59A. *Cold War symbol : IRON CURTAIN. As a it related to the Cold War, the term became famous from Winston Churchill's speech in Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946. The concept of the phrase goes back much further. "Even an iron barrier cannot separate [the people of] Israel from their heavenly father".- Babylonian Talmud. PIG IRON - The intermediate product of smelting iron ore and shipped in this form for remelting and refining later. Wiki article.
59A. *Cold War symbol : IRON CURTAIN. As a it related to the Cold War, the term became famous from Winston Churchill's speech in Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946. The concept of the phrase goes back much further. "Even an iron barrier cannot separate [the people of] Israel from their heavenly father".- Babylonian Talmud. PIG IRON - The intermediate product of smelting iron ore and shipped in this form for remelting and refining later. Wiki article.
3D. *Quaint means of communication? : PEN AND PAPER. PIGPEN.
5D. *Was in charge of : HEADED UP. PIG HEADED - Stupidly stubborn. (From the notion that pigs are immovable and seemingly stubborn.)
26D. *To whom "Howdy, stranger" is often said : OUT OF TOWNER. PIG OUT - To overeat; to overindulge in food or drink.
40D. Girlish hairstyle (and what the starts of the answers to starred clues are?) : PIGTAILS. "Who you calling 'girlish'?", Willie.
Argyle here. I have trouble with the unifier because it usually is all one word and to work here, it should be two words, IMO. Some clunky clues but enough cute ones to make up for it. A strong lay-out, a decent Tuesday.
Across:
1. Tuck's partner : NIP. From cosmetic surgery.
4. Carpet type : SHAG
8. Summer brew : ICE TEA
14. Stuff to be smelted : ORE
15. Grape grower's prefix : OENO
16. "It's unnecessary" : "NO NEED"
17. Word with marked or masked : MAN
20. Declared : STATED
22. Itch scratchers : NAILS
23. Full sets of chromosomes : GENOMEs. A genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information.
25. Potpie piece from a pod : PEA
26. Western treaty gp. : OAS. The Organization of American States is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. Their site.
29. It's up when you're angry : DANDER. It has little to do with dandruff but probably from Spanish, redundar "to overflow". American English,(1831) "temper," originally (W.Indies) "fermentation of sugar."
31. Safe and sound : UNHURT
33. Race circuits : LAPS
35. __ Mountains: Eurasian border range : URAL
37. Mozart's "Cosi fan __" : TUTTE. Clip.(3:04)
38. Med school subj. : ANAT.
39. Cheesecake on a wall : PIN-UP
41. Crane component : BOOM
42. Conveyed, as water through a main : PIPED
44. Centers of attention : FOCI
45. Corp. money VIPs : CFOs. Chief Financial Officer.
46. Audiophile's setup : STEREO
48. Bothers persistently : NAGS AT
50. Musical ability : EAR
51. English channel, briefly : BBC. The Beeb or Auntie Beeb.
53. Swing by for a visit : STOP OFF
56. Former CBS News anchor Couric : KATIE
58. Response : ANSWER
63. Org. for piece lovers? : NRA. National Rifle Association, 'piece' is a fire arm.
64. Poses (for) : MODELS
65. Wheel attachment : AXLE. Or, more commonly, an AXLE attachment is a wheel. In any case, they're attached.
66. Aussie runner : EMU
67. Pint-size : PEE-WEE
68. For fear that : LEST
69. Free (of) : RID
Down:
1. Chinese menu assurance : NO MSG
2. Hopping mad : IRATE
4. Like vows : SOLEMN
6. Picnic crasher : ANT
7. Enter : GO IN
8. Taking the place (of) : IN LIEU
9. Car radiator need : COOLANT
10. They may be self-sealing: Abbr. : ENVs. Envelope.
11. Kickoff aid : TEE
12. Suffix with musket : EER
13. Spots on TV : ADS
19. Cat's pause? : NAP
21. Place for Pop-Tarts : TOASTER
24. Letter flourish : SERIF
27. Threepio's buddy : AR-TOO
28. What keeps bloomers up? : STEMS
30. Talked a blue streak : RAN ON
32. Wheel covers : HUBCAPS. How to spot a police car; they have hubcaps in lieu of wheel covers. The spot light is a give-away, too. Image
33. Run out, as a subscription : LAPSE
34. Santa __ racetrack : ANITA. Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.
36. "Star Wars" mastermind : LUCAS. George Lucas.
43. Fiasco : DEBACLE
47. More than right, in triangles : OBTUSE. Less than a right angle, acute.
49. Shakespearean verse : SONNET
54. Nuclear pioneer Enrico : FERMI
55. Hoax : FRAUD
56. Was aware : KNEW
57. List-ending abbr. : ET AL.
59. Little devil : IMP
60. Microsturgeons? : ROE. Gets my vote for the cutest of the cute clues.
61. Poem of praise : ODE
62. Logger's tool : AXE
Argyle
