Faulty Construction

by Ned White / Edited by George Barany

This Thursday-ish level puzzle was posted coincident to the publication of another puzzle in the New York Times. After completing the puzzle (spoiler), learn more about the puzzle by clicking here for Ned's "midrash," and have a listen to two classic songs, this one (Hal David and Burt Bacharach) and this one (Paul McCartney) that are relevant to the puzzle's theme (pictorial hint to the right).

Click here to view or download the "main" puzzle in PDF format; here to download it as a puz file; here to download it as an ipuz file [requires the free Puzzazz app to solve]; here to solve the puzzle interactively (thanks to Jim Horne); here for the solution. Click here for a version of the main puzzle in which slightly less than half of the answer words and clues have been changed, here for the puz file, here for interactive play, and here for the solution. Click here for yet another (earlier) version of the puzzle, with one of the theme answers different and about half of the answer words and clues changed, here for the puz file, here for interactive play, and here for the solution.

We thank Christopher Adams, Howard Barkin, John Child, Charles Flaster, Todd Gross, Martin Herbach, Theresa Horan, Lewis Rothlein, Carl Voss, and Alex Vratsanos for beta testing the puzzle in its various iterations, and helpful suggestions that improved it.

If you want to tell others about this particular page, refer them to
http://tinyurl.com/faultypuz

More puzzles here (all).

E-mail barany@umn.edu to be added to a bcc distribution list.