diff --git a/balls.nimble b/balls.nimble
index 1a828f0..867b50a 100644
--- a/balls.nimble
+++ b/balls.nimble
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-version = "2.4.3"
+version = "2.4.4"
 author = "disruptek"
 description = "a unittest framework with balls 🔴🟡🟢"
 license = "MIT"
diff --git a/balls/runner.nim b/balls/runner.nim
index 55ca344..8ac151a 100644
--- a/balls/runner.nim
+++ b/balls/runner.nim
@@ -118,15 +118,19 @@ proc matrixTable*(matrix: Matrix): string =
           let status = matrix[profile]
           row.add:
             if useColor():
-              $statusStyles[status] & "●"
+              $statusStyles[status] & $status
             else:
-              $status     # without color; this will be bland
+              $status
           matrix.del profile
         else:
           row.add " "
       tab.rows.add row
       break
-  result = render tab
+
+  # pass the length of StatusKind.None; this corresponds to the width
+  # of the other StatusKind values, in characters, which is 1 for bland
+  # values and 2 for wide emojis
+  result = render(tab, size = len $None)
 
 proc hints*(p: Profile; ci: bool): string =
   ## Compute `--hint` and `--warning` flags as appropriate given Profile
diff --git a/balls/spec.nim b/balls/spec.nim
index 1feb7bc..4a113bc 100644
--- a/balls/spec.nim
+++ b/balls/spec.nim
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import std/times
 import std/macros
 import std/os
 
+import grok
 import grok/mem  # for quiesceMemory()
 
 when defined(js):
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ when ballsDry:
       None = " "      ## (undefined)
       Info = "⊚"      ## may prefix information
       Pass = "●"      ## total success
-      Skip = "↣"      ## test was skipped
+      Skip = "⸮"      ## test was skipped
       Part = "◐"      ## partial success
       Fail = "○"      ## assertion failure
       Died = "✷"      ## unexpected exception
@@ -129,10 +130,12 @@ proc dollar*(n: NimNode): NimNode =
   ## If it's not a string literal, dollar it.
   if n.kind == nnkStrLit:
     result = n
-  elif n.kind == nnkCall and $n[0] in ["$", "&"]:
+  elif n.kind == nnkCall and n[0].strVal in ["$", "&"]:
     result = n
   else:
-    result = newCall(bindSym"$", n)
+    result = nnkCall.newTreeFrom n:
+      bindSym"$"
+      n
 
 proc flushStderr*() {.noconv, used.} =
   ## Convenience for flushing stderr during process exit.
diff --git a/balls/style.nim b/balls/style.nim
index 3e2d545..ba07d36 100644
--- a/balls/style.nim
+++ b/balls/style.nim
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import std/macros
 import std/colors
 
+import grok
+
 import balls/spec
 
 type
@@ -93,10 +95,14 @@ proc `$`*(style: Styling): string =
 proc `&`*(style: Styling; n: NimNode): NimNode =
   ## combine style and something $able, but only output the
   ## style if you find that the program is on a tty at runtime
-  let useColor = bindSym"useColor"
   let n = dollar n
-  let text = newStmtList(newLit($style), n, newLit($resetStyle))
-  result = nnkIfStmt.newNimNode(n)
-  result.add nnkElifBranch.newTree(newCall(useColor),
-                                   nestList(ident"&", text))
-  result.add nnkElse.newTree(n)
+  result = nnkIfStmt.newTreeFrom n:
+    nnkElifBranch.newTreeFrom n:
+      bindSym"useColor".newCall
+      nestList ident"&":
+        nnkStmtList.newTreeFrom n:
+          newLit $style
+          n
+          newLit $resetStyle
+    nnkElse.newTree:
+      n
diff --git a/balls/tabouli.nim b/balls/tabouli.nim
index 2ae2522..570fd70 100644
--- a/balls/tabouli.nim
+++ b/balls/tabouli.nim
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ type
     rows*: seq[seq[string]]
     freeze*: int              # column freeze, like in a spreadsheet
 
-proc render*(t: Tabouli): string =
-  ## render a table as a string, perhaps with style
+proc render*(t: Tabouli; size = 1): string =
+  ## render a table as a string, perhaps with style; the size argument
+  ## defines the the anticipated width of unfrozen columns without regard
+  ## to styling.  this allows us to handle 2-char wide emojis properly.
   const
     pad = "  "
   result = $headerStyle
@@ -44,7 +46,7 @@ proc render*(t: Tabouli): string =
       else:
         # NOTE: later columns are aligned, but we don't use align()
         # 'cause it won't understand our embedded style controls
-        result.add spaces(widths[i] - 1)
+        result.add spaces(widths[i] - min(size, s.len))
         result.add s
       if i == 0:
         result.add $resetStyle    # reset the style after the leader