Japanese sash / MON 12-7-2020 / Pouty expression / Insurance giant / Letters after nus

Theme answers:

• WENT DOWN THE TUBE (17A: Travel by subway?)
• CAN I GET A LIFT (27A: "Would you call the elevator for me?")
• PASS THE TORCH (48A: "Hand me a flashlight"?)
• CASH IN ONE'S CHIPS (63A: Use French fries as legal tender?)

Word of the Day: OSSO (62D: ____ buco) —

Ossobuco or osso buco (pronounced [ˌɔssoˈbuːko]; Milanese: òss bus [ˌɔzˈbyːs]) is a specialty of Lombard cuisine of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth. It is often garnished with gremolata and traditionally served with either risotto alla milanese or polenta, depending on the regional variation.^[1] The marrow in the hole in the bone, a prized delicacy, is the defining feature of the dish.^[2][3]

It's another August Monday! This one in December. It's getting really cold out, and it's the busy season for the bookstore! Remember to go to your local bookstore when you're buying holiday gifts. Their employees might be really tired, but that's only because it's also finals season! And they'll be more than happy to take care of you. And one of them just might write for a crossword blog! 

Speaking of crosswords, the crossword. I've seen better fill, honestly, but I've definitely seen worse. No ERA this time at least. POST-OP belongs right above CAN I GET A (face) LIFT. I haven't had sushi in awhile, it would be nice to pull up a STOOL for some ROE. And really, that's about all I have to say about this one. It's a nice little Monday, but not anything particularly special. 

The theme was...amusing? British-isms are definitely fun. Again, perfect for a Monday, but nothing really new. And it left me wanting fish and chips. 

Bullets:

• METZ (Chrissy of "This Is Us") — This was such a tough cross, I almost broke down and looked it up. Does that make me old, or young? I know nothing about "This Is Us" or its target demographic. 
• PESTS (9A: Mosquitoes and gnats) — My personal favorite PEST is actually a parasite! The trematode Dicrocoelium dendriticum is a kind of parasite that lives on ants and "zombifies" them at night, giving them the urge to climb on top of stalks of grass so cattle will eat them. Weird, right? Nature is amazing. 
• ACE IT (30D: Nail the test) — Speaking of which, wish me luck on my finals! It's more like "nail the paper" than "nail the test", but still. 
• DASH (37D: Dot's counterpart in Morse code) — I've been watching too much Animaniacs, because I know my mind went to "the Warner brothers" first when I saw "Dot's counterpart." 
  
  

Signed, August Thompson, tired graduate student.  

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