The Cause of Much Pain by Samuel

Puzzle explanation

Original solutions in clue order, where changed, were Across: 1 épris 5 icepacks 10 proball 12 rig out 13 lagnappe 15 ankle 17 fire 19 stellar, 21 polled 22 Toto 23 Elaps 26 andouillettes 29 valet 32 inns 34 burden 36 ivoried 38 yerk 40 Orczy 41 steatite 44 mildew 45 terrace 46 Silurian 47 tired; Down: 27 Durrell, 33 nickar 39 peen, 42 iwi.

The letters that had moved up belonged to clues 5, 12, 17, 21, 23, 32, 36, 40, 44, 46 across, 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 16, 24, 27, 30, 33, 37 and 43 down; they gave the phrase “What goes up must come down”. Five answers, all capable of going up, rocket, balloon, liana, lift and co-pilot thus had to fall to the bottom of the grid; a sixth (apple) landed on the letter N (Newton’s head), a supposed, but probably apocryphal, re-enactment of the discovery of GRAVITATION, which had to be highlighted in the grid. Entries in which the falls were enacted continuously, rather than discretely, thereby moving all of DURRELL to the top of the column (not just URRELL), were also accepted.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Letter
Movement
Answer Explanation
Across
1 s(w)eep ÉPRIS SIPE < about (nu)R(se)
5 s(w)elling ICEPACKS Composite anagram of SECONDARY PICKET using RED TONY
10 Rut(h) PROBALL LL after PROBATE – (Aunti)E – (Ru)T
12 (h)eight RIGOUT RIGHT + OUT – HT (height)
13 LAGNAPPE LAG + NAPPE
15 (A)head ANKLE (N(oon) + K) in ALE
17 l(a)unch FIRE I in FRE(e)
19 Def(t) STELLAR SAR about TELL
21 (t)op POLLED PO + DELL(a) <
22 (g)old TOTO TOT + O; reference Wizard of Oz
23 win(g) ELAPS ASP* after EL
26 ANDOUILLETTES LORD LIEUTENANTS* – (N + R)
29 M(o)an VALET VALE + T’
32 h(o)uffs INNS (OC + TEN*) omitted from INNOCENTS
34 bas(e)s BURDEN BUR + DEN; musical bass line
36 (e)Go IVORIED I + VOR + ED about I; the meaning for “vor” is uncertain
38 (s)lowest YERK Y + ERK
40 (s)He ORCZY Hidden; author of The Scarlet Pimpernel
41 (u)sed STEATITE S(ed) + (AT IT in TEE)
44 (u)nit MILDEW (M(elon) + WE’D) < about (I + L)
45 s(p)in TERRACE TACE about ERR
46 (p)ale SILURIAN SIAN about LURI(d)
47 TIRED T + I’ + RED
Down
1 he(m)p EPHAS Hidden; author of The Scarlet Pimpernel
2 tra(m)p PRO Alternate letters
3 D(u)ress ROCKET (unde)R + OCKE(r) + TROUBLE – ROUBLE
4 s(u)ites SAPELE AS < + PELE
5 (s)ay ILLS I’LL SAY – AY
6 (s)and ERG ER + G(o)
7 (t)out PINKO PIN + KO
8 (t)urn CO-PILOT COP + I + LOT
9 (C)ox STEEDS STEE(r) + D(rown)S
11 Dan(c)e BALLOON BALL + OO + N
14 go(o)d AURA A + U + RA
16 tr(o)y APPLE APPLET – T
18 RETENE NET < in REE
20 (M)utter TONGUE (NO + T’) < + GUE
24 For(m) LIANA LIAISE – I(celandic) – S(ledge) – E(xpedition) + NAB – B
25 strip(e) STIRRER S(pray) + TIRR + ER
27 D(e)ad DURRELL DULL about ((R + R) + E(ase))
28 gorge(d) ABYSMS ABY + SMS (text messaging on mobile phones)
30 (d)off LIFT (I + FT) under L
31 h(o)ard TOOART TOO + ART
33 An(o)n NICKAR NICK + A + R
35 (w)ere ESTER Hidden
37 (w)ales DYFED DYED about F
39 PEEN PEE + N(ail)
42 Ami(n) IWI (W + I) after (Am)I
43 electro(n) ACE A + C(ars) + E
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