Nuts and Bolts by Mango

Puzzle explanation

If the across versus down decisions were wrongly made, the grid would exhibit the later of the two “events”, with GRAVITATION in the top row, ISAAC NEWTON lying on his back and an APPLE falling on his head. The correct grid, however, has WILLIAM TELL shooting an arrow at an APPLE on the head of his son, WALTER TELL, while the villain of the piece, HERR HERMANN Gessler, looks on. To depict the arrow, five capital Is and one V had to be reoriented. The three wordplay-only clues all led to types of apple (GRANNY SMITH, LEATHER-COAT and QUARRINGTON), and the “core” (ie, central) misprints spelt BOW. The letters WM L, N R? in the preamble could be construed as “William Left, Newton Right?”.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

Ref Answer Explanation [misprint]
A QUARRINGTON QU + A + RR + [B] + NG + TON
OBLITERATED O + B + LITE + RATED
B IRON RON after I; ref. character Ron Glum in radio show Take It From Here
BIN NIB <
C LINGALA LINGA + LA
LAND GIRL L + DARLING *
D ISTLE (m)ISTLE(toe)
TISRI ’TIS + RI(d)
E EVOLVE LOVE < + VE
AT PEACE (mov)E in AT PACE
F RAISE 2 meanings
MAHMAL HAM < + MAL
G APNEA PAEAN *
TEMNE M(elodiousness) in TENE
H LOIN LOGIN − G
ELO ELOPING − PING
I GRANNY SMITH (THINGS R[O]MAN) *
IONOSPHERIC (H + PECORINO IS) *
J OMANI (w)OMAN I(s)
IMINE I MINE
K ERECT ERE + CT
CEASE (ESCAPE − P) *
L ARROW-HEADED ((A + D) around RHEA around ROW) + ED
LEATHER-COAT ((Le)AR + THE O[W]L + CAT) *
M WORSE (SO WE + R) *
ONER RENO <
N SEA BEAR BEA(uty) in SEAR
ANTIAR (N + TIARA) with A moved up
O BLITE B(uild) + LITE
INSET (NEST + I) *
P CLEG C + LEG
VEAL VE(n)AL
Q HEMSTITCH (ME < + ST) in HITCH
HERONSEW ON in WHERE’S *
R OLEATE O + TAEL < + E
SCEATT SCATT around E
S SHEATHE SHE around HEAT
WHEREVER WE’VE around HER + R
T LEECH LEE + CH
CETANE ET in CANE
U CHYLDE (E(a)CH + L(a)DY) *
AVIATE TA < in (A + VIE)
V TELL’D LET < + LD
TERATA T + ERRATA − R
W LET ON L + ETON
REDE RE + DE
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