December 29, 2023

Title: A FEVER YOU CAN'T SWEAT OUT (Freestyle)

Constructors: Rafael Musa & Rebecca Goldstein

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. A FEVER YOU CAN'T SWEAT OUT is the 2005 debut album of PANIC! AT THE DISCO (35A: Emo pop band with an exclamation point in its name).

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MOCHI DONUT (13A: American-Japanese fusion pastry) As you might guess, a MOCHI DONUT is a fusion of MOCHI and a DONUT. MOCHI is a pounded sticky rice that is molded into cakes. It often has a sweet filling. A MOCHI DONUT is made of glutinous rice flour or tapioca flour, and is generally shaped into a ring of eight small balls.
• WEB (21A: The third "W" of WWW) I was clearly not quite awake when I encountered this clue, as instead of "World Wide WEB," my brain tried to interpret WWW as "world wide wrestling." Hmm.
• YAM (23A: Vegetable mostly produced in Nigeria) YAMS are a staple crop in the West African country of Nigeria. Sixty-seven percent of the world's YAMs are produced in Nigeria. 
• SARCASM (25A: Mocking use of words) This answer made me think of the signs and t-shirts advertising the "National SARCASM Society ... like we need your support."
• PANIC! AT THE DISCO (35A: Emo pop band with an exclamation point in its name) PANIC! AT THE DISCO was formed in Las Vegas in 2005. The band's original members were still in high school when they sent out their first demo tapes. As mentioned above, the band's debut album, released in 2005, is A FEVER YOU CAN'T SWEAT OUT. Since 2015, Brendon Urie has been the only remaining founding member of the band. Earlier this year, Brendon Urie announced the official disbandment of PANIC! AT THE DISCO
• TAN (39A: Black and ___ (layered beer cocktail)) A Black and Tan is made by layering a pale ale and a dark beer, such as Guinness stout.
• JANE (43A: "Emma" author Austen) JANE Austen's novel, Emma, was originally published in 1815. The title character is introduced in the novel's first sentence, "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." What isn't mentioned in the first sentence is Emma's propensity toward matchmaking and meddling in the lives of others. Like many of JANE Austen's work, Emma has been adapted multiple times. 
• VISION ZERO (55A: Project hoping to eliminate traffic injuries) The goal of VISION ZERO is to take a proactive, preventive approach that prioritizes road safety, and views traffic deaths as preventable rather than inevitable. The multi-national road traffic safety project, VISION ZERO, was started in Sweden in the 1990s. Multiple countries and communities (including a number of U.S. cities) have adopted the VISION ZERO approach.
• GODS (5D: "___ & Monsters" (Lana Del Rey song)) "GODS & Monsters" is a 2012 song by Lana Del Rey. The song was featured in Lana Del Rey's 2013 musical short film, Tropico. In 2014, the song was covered by Jessica Lange for an episode of the TV series American Horror Story: Freak Show.
• SPOTTED (25D: ___ lanternfly (invasive pest with dots on its wings)) The SPOTTED lanternfly is an insect indigenous to China and Vietnam. It has spread invasively to Japan, South Korea, and the United States. The SPOTTED lanternfly is a threat to a fruit and woody trees.
• NEVE (50D: Actress Campbell) NEVE Campbell's many TV and movie credits include playing the role of Sidney Prescott in the five Scream movies.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• REV (48A: Go "vroom vroom")
• BUSY SEASON (10D: The months leading up to tax day, for accountants)
• HAD (37D: "You ___ one job!")

Geography review:

• ASIA (1A: Pakistan's continent) Pakistan is located in South ASIA. It is the fifth-most populous country, following China, India, the United States, and Indonesia. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad.
• OKC (47A: City known as "The Big Friendly" (Abbr.)) Oklahoma City, aka OKC, is the capital of Oklahoma and its most populous city. In addition to "The Big Friendly," OKC is also known as "the 405," a nod to the city's area code.
• ISLES (14D: The British ___ (home for Ireland and the U.K.)) The British ISLES are located in the North Atlantic Ocean. In addition to the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, the British ISLES include the ISLE of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern ISLES, and over six thousand smaller islands.
• SEA (56D: The Mediterranean, for example) The Mediterranean SEA is almost completely surrounded by land, and is bordered by countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Mediterranean SEA connects to the Atlantic Ocean via the Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow body of water that separates Spain and Morocco.

There's a lot to like in today's themeless offering. I especially enjoyed the conversational phrases, "PLEASE DON'T" (17A: "I wish you'd rethink that"), "I CAN TAKE IT" (27D: "There's no need to sugarcoat"), and, of course, "AHA!" (4D: "Eureka!") Thank you, Rafa and Rebecca, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to start my Friday.