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Pete Muller author page

18 puzzles by Pete Muller
with Constructor comments

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184/18/20067/16/20177
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6042501
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251.6065%
Pete Muller
Puzzles constructed by Pete Muller by year
Sun 7/16/2017 IF THE SPIRIT MOVES YOU
OLAVSPJSNEBSPOSH
NADIRSHAIERLEAPIAN
LIVEITDOWNWRENYESNO
ANATYINANDYANGDRAKE
NINLMAOFRONDBIALYS
DETRAINWEIRDEARN
AONEREINKKNITTING
SEGUEFRANKBETOFOE
OLEGDORRSOLARADAMN
WISHFULSHARONACUTEX
COCKTAILLOUNGES
INFUNTOWELEDCOSTNER
WALTZASADAKNEWMOAN
IVEPLAYRANASFONTS
NEDROREMCOROTALPS
EPOSCRUETILOSTIT
STIVESPHONYSPARANI
AIDANSEEADOCTORERTE
ITEMSATWTUNEDUCATED
DRAPELEOIIBNMISERY
ELSAERNANCOVERNE

ACME: Back in 2010 I met Pete, and inspired by his Jack in the box puzzle, came up with the idea ORDERSAROUNDOFDRINKS 21 and in six quadrants have a drink name in circles (TOMCOLLINS, VODKATONIC, etc). Pete thought this could work: "DRINKSALLAROUND 15 [Generous patron's offer and a clue to this puzzle's theme] or AROUNDOFDRINKS 14 for a 20x20 ... could get cute and put OLIVE on top of the MARTINI circle etc. ..." and thus started a 50 email exchange, countless grids, almost seven year odyssey towards a Sunday puzzle!

Pete will tell you I finally cornered him at the 2017 ACPT and said next grid you send me, I'm filling it, cluing it and NO MORE IMPROVEMENTS! (He is a multi-talented creative genius and kept thinking he could do better!)

(response from Pete: "Andrea is too kind to mention that after she had clued the grid I sent her, I found something I couldn't live with it and redid it one more time ...so she had to clue it twice!")

Because Pete got the reveal in the puzzle (crossing with COCKTAILLOUNGES!) we also needed to come up with a title, which of course, as a namer, is my favorite part of constructing!

We needed drinks with 4 8 and 12 letters to make it work... It's a little ironic as I have never been a drinker and had never even heard of a TIAMARIA nor PINKLADY, but I love it! Bottoms up! Skoal! CHEERS and all that!

PETE: My last published NY Times puzzle was in 2013, the year after I started doing the MMMM (Muller Monthly Music Meta). Thirteen crosswords a year is right at the limit of what I can create, so I reluctantly had to stop submitting puzzles to other venues.

Andrea had invited me to collaborate with her on this idea seven years ago (!), and I had started in on it but ultimately gave up because I didn't love the fill enough. I guess sometimes I can be overly picky (Andrea liked some of the grids I came up with just fine.) She gently sent regular reminders to me and encouraged me to keep at it. I promised her that I would definitely get to it within a year. That was in 2015.

I studiously avoided Andrea at the 2016 ACPT, but she managed to track me down anyway and extract another promise that I would finish within a year. Only an extra year late, and seven years after we originally started, I took another shot at a collection of theme entries that we liked, and made it a lot better. Andrea did almost all the cluing (I changed a handful of her clues).

Hope you like it!

I do miss having crosswords in the Times and hope to find time to start submitting a puzzle or two per year going forward.

Sun 9/8/2013 BUMPER CARS
SPAYTALCMCATSSEPIA
ILIAOHIORICOHEARLS
PARKAVENUECOUGARQUEST
TWIXMARSHPALAUSAO
SEAMENISITELMERS
CAVALIERCAPRIDIPLOMAT
HUEGMAYSERSWAMI
ALHIRTAMOURENYA
BOBCATRABBITACCORD
ROLEXARATALEABS
INTREPIDRAMCHALLENGER
MASSOMASOOBURNT
STORMTROOPERSONATA
AQUIHENCESHANKS
MUNROBITOUZIATF
CELEBRITYGOLFDEFENDER
ONSIDENEMOFLIMSY
AKACOINSTERSEAXIS
MIDGETOUTBACKEXPLORER
PREENCRAMPERASNERF
SIDLEYETISDEMISDAK

Pete: Sue Keefer is my sister and a longtime NY Times solver. This is her first published puzzle. The first version of it included BLAZER LEGEND ESCORT [Companion for Clyde Drexler?] and GREMLIN WRANGLER FIESTA [Where to find spirit chasers on a Friday night?]. Will asked us to change both of these.

PARK AVENUE COUGAR QUEST was the seed entry and the one that made us decide to do the puzzle. We hope you like it!

Tue 6/11/2013
ACCTECHOLAPIS
NOLALRONEVENT
DRUGABUSETERSE
RENAMEEDAMDIE
EAGLELAGBEHIND
OBIEERGOT
PUBGAMESIONIZE
EVASKIEDOED
WARMTOBIGBANDS
BLURBNEAT
CRABGRASSATARI
YERBYTEZEALOT
CAIROMIXEDBAGS
LIANAAKINONEO
ERNSTNONOYARN
Wed 10/10/2012
ABCOTHERASBAD
GRODRAMATHANE
HIPJOINTSHODGE
ABSORBPROPJET
SEENESPELSOL
TDSICEAGEKIA
SNAPJUDGMENT
USEASTANASSAM
STUMPJUMPERS
HEREMAILSSTS
PODGESTLCHIA
TIPJARSIDIOCY
ONEISFLAPJACKS
STANSPERSEKEN
SONNYDOMEDSRO
Thu 9/8/2011
STUERWINSELECT
EASTERLYIRONER
TRACTILEDENALI
HEFYENSEMITIC
APRESSKIEEK
WOLFEVERITE
PTUIAESCENSE
MERRYPRANKSTERS
AESOPMOSRASP
TURRETKESEY
IVARAISABLE
NOLIMITBLUJFK
DITTOSTOODLEOO
ILEAVEAVOGADRO
CARTEDREMEDIAL
Sun 7/3/2011 MY TREAT
MEATABCDETCGEENA
OKRASDRLAOMAHUNSER
BERLEREATABROWNCOWS
SELTZERWATERCANITBE
DOAGAINSAYSOSNEIN
PURLPADMATOILKOREA
ITSANLOINSDAMNYSL
SDSISAIDETAIL
EGGSACSFLAVOREDSYRUP
ANEKAUAIMDVIRHEIMS
RASHLARRYSETTOSOBA
ORTEGATEEDNEONSJET
FLEXIBLESTRAWNECTARS
ALLORINCANSAW
MRSLENIORRINBOSSA
RUNESGEMSEELEDSKIN
ILEXASSAILVOICING
SEATRIPICECREAMSODA
COKEFLOATTRENDPORTS
ANENDORRSEEYASPORK
NERDSNEEELANSWAY
Thu 4/14/2011
IPODSDVDSAPISH
SADATRAINTALIA
MYEYEILLEARIEL
TRAVELERSLOGO
ITSONMEATONES
SHADEPROVIDER
LAMARRADOHER
ARMYREELINTELE
MPSARCSBANTU
GENEKELLYPROP
UNSOLDLEADINS
HITFORRIHANNA
USURPEBONONEAL
RANEEAEROSCALE
ANTEDMTNSEERIE
Wed 5/12/2010
NICHERHODAIOWE
ONHERORRINTUBB
SLOPEMENSASTAB
HOPCSAOPCITS
EVILTWINRICOTTA
DENYANEMONEAOL
NOMTOVBERYL
JACKINTHEBOXES
MOSHEOLEEXP
ESTESTELLEASST
DEEPFATSONATINA
REEBOKWESROC
PAIRODILEKNICK
RASPTALONUSUAL
YAKSSYNODPASTE
Sun 2/14/2010 THAT'S AMORE
NEHIAETNABLINDHAJI
OPENRERANSODOMOLIN
WHATISLOVESCIFIOILS
TUNETAMSKOANKALE
FRIENDSHIPSETTOMUSIC
MEATPIEOCATREPEAT
KEYSTONEROWANASSN
TDSELMSNOLOAD
THEBEAUTYOFTHESOUL
PUTOUTMILELAICORZO
CHANGESLUNTSTHEREIN
BORERUHROOHSORELSE
SHARINGYOURPOPCORN
TEAPOTOPAHGYM
VEGAREMUSSIGNORAS
PAMELARINGLEERING
AMANYSPLENDOREDTHING
NONETRODEMILDRED
DOURHITITALLYOUNEED
ASEAMOTTSALIENTREO
SELLAROSEMEESESSGT
Thu 12/3/2009
LTRSSIRNOSOUP
POETPLOSECURE
NOGOAREAARTIST
LAGGARDSVOIT
MARYIISHEAUNE
ITDONAITCHIER
DEEMGOETHE
DENVERLETTE
SEAGODHONE
KRISHNASETHEM
REFISPSAVAILS
ANODSTARMAPS
KONICAURBANPOP
OILRIGNCODUNE
WRYESTGOBESSU
Sun 11/1/2009 COMPOUND FRACTURES
CAPSBATTABHORCDS
APOCRYPHAPIANOTWEET
RETROSPECTACLESVILLE
BATESKATFLEWAKITE
ELEPHANTOMSPORADICAL
AILSYANCORTESPAS
RELCRAGWADIDOTE
PSYCHEDELICACYNODICE
AAHALAEATMISOS
CONTRABANDONLIPBALMS
UTAHSEDGEEFILETAME
OHFATHERROULETTERMAN
METRORAJAMOICI
ORATORGUITARISTOCRAT
ILAYSVENNOELEGO
RECLECTERSTLAFEW
PERHAPSODYFOREVERIES
HIROSHIMAZOLAASAN
OSAKACENTIPEDESTRIAN
TETESARDENMAKEHASTE
ORANSYNCNYESTHAW
Sun 6/21/2009 FAMOUS LAST WORDS
OSCARWHAMHAMWILDE
MAORIAUTOMATABESEEM
ISLASREMNANTSRILEUP
THEBENDSGROUCHOMARX
ITEFOCIEDAM
LOUCOSTELLOSTAIRUMA
AKCSOFAPIERRECPUS
BRAESDOGGONEITCASTS
SALVADORDALIBEPOLITE
ARISONOPENALIZES
DESPOTNWTJASROGERS
EXTENSIONBUYECRU
PEERGYNTCONRADHILTON
OTROSFIREDOORSNARCO
TEENYEMENILEOSATE
SROMORESDYLANTHOMAS
IRONADESEEN
PANCHOVILLAPAPACIES
IAMTOOILLEGALSRANDI
DAEWOOPLAYEDUPOLDEN
ERROLSSNROSSFLYNN
Sat 2/7/2009
SAMESMARTDRUGS
EBONPENTHOUSES
XENALATEDINNER
ORTRITZNEARS
BREVITYMUGS
JACOBSFIFIFIB
ETATSLEMONSODA
CIRERAVESCUER
TOLDTALESLUNAR
SNOAJARRIDDLE
SLAWSETSAIL
FRANKCEDETSR
LIVEINMAIDTITO
OCEANBORNEROIL
ROCKGARDENENCL
Thu 11/20/2008
WOLFFWAILSHAD
AKIRAALTOHIFI
CAPITALISMONTO
CAPNABRADED
WITHOUTFAILURE
RANISTEARNS
ITSOKLCDSMEN
TEENAGETIEPINS
ARTBOTHSACRE
FUNERALKROC
ISLIKERELIGION
RAELIANTARS
ANGEWITHOUTSIN
BEAROTOENAFTA
URLSLYRATNOTE
Tue 6/3/2008
WHORATINGANEW
HASALONSOCIAO
ELLIPTICALALTO
WOODALADUDE
COREMAOISTS
CSPANTKOMACHO
WHERESWALDOREB
PARDTASTEGAPE
OSSINTHECORNER
STOUTEINSAENS
TANDOORMOON
ADOSSEPDEAL
SALEMONTICELLO
SAARARIANEMAE
WADSNAPLESSEW
Tue 7/10/2007
TOTALELLIDAHO
AERIEFEEGIVER
BRIDGEFINANCING
PASTESLIT
POLCTRITASCA
OVERTHEEDGETOD
DACHANAHERAS
TROUBLEDTIMES
BIOSRAWDIETS
ROWWATERFILTER
ANNIESDOALDS
NTSBGINZA
SONGBYPAULSIMON
KOALAOWEEMPTY
AFTERELSCASTE
Thu 7/6/2006
VIPERTUBBILLS
ENATEOLAYMEAL
I NEED MY SPACE
LTDDEBSCALPED
EWANSETAMY
DOSAGEHERAFIE
FORCEDNSYNC
NEXT TO NOTHING
BYLAWAGATHA
AESHULAOARMEN
HISPROKAMA
ARBITERELILBO
LEAVE SOME ROOM
PAREUTNEDONDI
ODDSPUTTOBEYS
Tue 4/18/2006
FRETAMAJAPART
AIRYBIGABONER
QTIPECRUDEICE
ACERTAINCOMMON
DOTTAMEND
ORELEOVRED
LETTERWILLNOTBE
ALTAENOERAT
FOUNDANYWHEREIN
KITLEERETA
ADDLOOAGE
THEPUZZLETODAY
EATATOATHGLAD
ABOVENITEELLA
MIXEDEDERDYED
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