Brendan Emmett Quigley -- Can I Have a Word With You?

CROSSWORD #195

ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ HOOHA] 
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]

PROGRAM: [Java]

PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ HOOHA]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]

No "Oscars" theme today. Shocking, I know. I'm normally on top of that, but since I was expecting my movie-related themed puzzle in the Chronicle of Higher Education to run today, I took a pass. The CHE dropped the ball and posted the damn fool thing Monday, but in the odd chance you missed it, here it is again: [Across Lite] [Java]

Have no fear about the BEQ Oscar snub. Since I'm completely batshit insane, I'll be making ten (10) themeless puzzles this weekend wherein 1-Across is the Best Picture Oscar nominee.  We'll run the winner on Monday. Here's hoping "Up" doesn't win, cuz that'll make things a bit awkward. </promisesicantdeliver>

On a serious note: I've been making some variety puzzles this week.  Some for some clients, some for fun/just to change things up. I'd like to ask you, the solvers, would you have any interest in seeing variety puzzles every now and again on this here blog? Don't be shy in answering, encouraging me, or discouraging me.  I'll even take suggestions as to what kinds of varieties you might like to see in the future. If you find the comments section a bit too intimidating (you should never feel that way, BTW), feel free to send me an e-mail instead.  Thanks ahead of time for the feedback.

Share the puzzle. New one on Monday.

CROSSWORD #194

ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ TILT] 
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]

PROGRAM: [Java]

PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ TILT]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]

Let's clean out the junk drawer today and do a couple quick hits:

• This one might be a Mard. Who knows, maybe it's an Easium? I've had conflicting reports. Would you expect anything less than wildly divergent opinions of the puzzle's difficulty from my test-solvers? Yeah, I thought so.
• The Chronicle of Higher Education website can't decide when to post the puzzles. So, why not do my puzzle scheduled for Friday today? [Java] [Across Lite]
• Trip Payne alerted me to this great on-line game/tie-in thingy with the BBC Four game show "Only Connect." I'd never heard of it. And, yeah, it's no "Countdown," which I admit I've played along with semi-religiously when I'm over there. But damn these "Only Connect" puzzles are entertaining and frigging hard. All ya gotta do is match up the four sets of four from the board of 16, then name the categories. Go figure: the first wall I successfully sovled was #5, and the first category I got right was not the one built around something very American, but the one built around the something very British. Thanks, Liz!

Share the puzzle. New one on Friday.

Update: Guess I liked this theme so much I had to repeat it. What do they say? When you copy yourself it's a style?