Saturday, July 30, 2022, Kate Chin Park

 Saturday Themeless by Kate Chin Park

Kate is a custom furniture maker who is a proud non-whiz when it comes to solving and wordplay. Originally from Spokane, she has lived in San Diego, Brooklyn, London, and Brooklyn again before settling down in Oakland. She began solving crosswords in 2019 and 

making them in 2021, and credits mentorship both formal and informal for her growth as a constructor. When not awash in words or sawdust, Kate loves to read, eat the food her partner cooks, snuggle with her hostile-to-everyone-else cat, and watch the Golden State Warriors. Here is her website 

Some of Kate's work

Across 

1. Spa service: MUD BATH - Yeah, I know, MASSAGE fits too.

8. Rosebush pest: APHID.

13. Acrobatic Brazilian martial art: CAPOEIRA - This came letter by crossing letter.

14. Sleeping spots for some dogs: CRATES.

16. Firm hold: IRON GRIP.

17. Decorative threads: TINSEL.

18. Dispatched: SENT - Robert E. Lee greatly regretted he SENT Pickett on that charge 

19. Stands out: POPS.

21. Either parent, for some kids: MOMMY - Our neighbor's grandson Peter in Minneapolis has two wonderful mommies

22. [I'm a ghost!]: BOO.

24. Many a "Thirty something" character: YUPPIE.

26. Be imminent: IMPEND.

29. Many modern diets: FADS.

30. "Bright Dead Things" poet Limón: ADA.

33. Running early?: FALSE START - A FALSE START and a face plant

35. Neutrogena product: T/GEL.

36. Some journal entries: IDEAS.

37. Clinch: ICE - Clinch and ICE both infer that the other team can not now possibly win even though the game is not officially over yet.

38. "Love Actually" actor: GRANT - Hugh is in the top middle and had a 39. Main role: LEAD.

40. "Good gravy!": JEEZ LOUISE - My last fill was changing the the G to a J

42. Head for Vegas?: LAS.

43. Achy: SORE.

44. __ Awards: high honors for comic books: EISNER - Named for Will Eisner

45. Regard: ESTEEM.

47. Looney Tunes explosive: TNT.

48. Unforced __: ERROR - Hitting the ball into the net is one

50. Pointillism elements: DOTS. Just such a painting of a 56. Late gathering: SOIREE by Edmond Cross

52. They might be game: FOWL - A good friend skipped my daughter's wedding for the first day of pheasant season.

58. Not much at all: JUST A BIT.

60. Person to split a bill with: COSTAR - The playbill not the restaurant check

61. Age line?: I FEEL OLD.

62. Home and away, e.g.: TEAMS.

63. Braced: STEELED - We've all STEELED ourselves for possible bad news

Down:

1. Zebra mother: MARE - As it is for all equines 

2. After: UPON - UPON further thought...

3. "I also have good news, though!": DON'T BE SAD.

4. Beseech: BEG.

5. MagSafe Charging Case inserts: AIR PODS.

6. Goals in a hat trick, e.g.: TRIO - A hat trick is accomplished when one player scores three goals in one game. Huh?

7. Features of some positive messaging: HAPPY FACE EMOJIS  or...

8. Make a scene?: ACT.

9. Takes one's time at the mirror: PRIMPS 

10. Capital west of Ha Long Bay: HANOI - About 2hrs west by car

11. Message during phone tag: IT'S ME AGAIN - Cell phones have helped with this issue 

12. Believe: DEEM.

13. Opposite of trans: CIS - Short for CISGENDER - "Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex." CIS is from the Latin for "on this side" as opposed to trans which means "on the other side" 

15. Underhanded: SLY.

20. Family name on "Ugly Betty": SUAREZ.

23. Singles: ONES.

25. Hrs. at T-Mobile Park: PDT - Here we see the roof at this Seattle park closing and opening.

26. Journalist Gwen honored on a U.S. postage stamp in 2020: IFILL.

 

27. Tyler Perry persona: MADEA.

28. Standing order?: PLEASE RISE - "Here come da judge!"

31. Packed: DENSE.

32. Change one's skirt?: ALTER.

34. Like a pagoda: TIERED.

35. Hands-on experience, hopefully: TRUST FALL - No! Fall backward!

38. Enter: GO IN.

40. __ Bruin: UCLA mascot: JOE - Joe and Josephine

41. "Decisions, decisions ... ": LET'S SEE and 46. "Yes and no": SORTA as sung by our cwd friend Ella Fitzgerald:

First, you say, you do

And then you don't

And then you say, you will

And then you won't

You're undecided now

So what are you gonna do?

43. Twitch __: STREAM - Make your own STREAMing channel

48. F1 neighbor: ESC.

49. Daikon, e.g.: ROOT - Radish

51. Hairy bunch: TUFT - A combover challenge?

53. Thin reed: OBOE - It is a beautiful addition to the chorus of this song

54. Stormy: WILD.

55. Pt. of LLC: LTD - What they are and 8 examples if you're interested 

57. Critical-care ctrs.: ERS.

59. Workout wear: TEE - TEE shirts are not allowed on many golf courses.