3986: Terminal Suspension by Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude gave us a nice puzzle based on a nursery rhyme. The unclued entry in the bottom row was LITTLE BO PEEP. In down answers one letter had to be moved to the top row and this gave WEEPING BIRCH, a tree whose flowers are often known as LAMB’S TAILS. Extra letters in clues spelled what was to be highlighted – BODY AND TAIL IN EACH COLUMN. At the bottom of each column was the name of a type of sheep with its last letter in the top numbered row, a reference to a later verse of the rhyme, and hence the title.

It happened one day, as Bo peep did stray
Into a meadow hard by,
There she espied their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.

The sheep, in order, were EWE, AMMON, SHEEP, RAM, TEG, BIDENT, SOAY, HOG, LAMB, ARGALI, URIAL, and MUG.
Misprinted letters in the last six across answers -- (m)algre, eme(u), Teo(s), (m)aim, wo(o) and a(n)na -- spelt "musmon".

Extra letters in clues are shown in square brackets
ACROSS
11 Comparatively sparse region mostly bordered by [b]rooks (5)
RARER R+ R (2 rooks) containing ARE(a)
12 I'm put in Irish ga[o]l, educated, not trained (7)
UNAIMED UNA + ED containing I’M
13 Recording by Mulligan without money supply, able to use only Shan[d] perhaps (11)
MONOLINGUAL MONO (record) + Anagram (M)ULLIGAN Less M (money)
14 Small animal book, eas[y] to bind (7)
BEASTIE B + EAS(y) + TIE
16 Before the end of roundelay for example Ar[a]gon prince is short of breath (5)
GASPY GAS ( eg. argon) + P (prince) + Y
17 S[n]ots in tune with workers? (12)
INTEMPERANTS IN + TEMPER + ANTS
23 Rampant neurosis rule[d] out bending in a supple manner (7)
SINUOSE Anagram NEU(R) OSIS less R (rule)
25 Latin gent regularly [t]old Apollo's mother (4)
LETO L + odd letters of gEnT + O (old)
26 Gleams of light reflected in Sunrise by [A]melia (5)
LEMES Hidden reversed sunriSE MELia
27 S[i]mile encapsulating lord and furious lady (6)
BELDAM LD (lord) in BEAM
28 Fundamental nature of cu[l]t programming language pursued by business centre (8)
BASICITY BASI(C) + CITY
31 Sexual excitement ru[i]ns Sheila's pick-up (short of energy) (3)
RUT R (runs) + UT(E) less E
35 Pain increased endless rancour once (6)
MALGRÉ MAL + GRE(W)
36 Space at English university for an Australian runner (4)
EMEU EM (space) + E + U
37 Tense game ending in this Ionian town (4)
TEOS T (tense) + EO + S (last letter in thiS)
38 Independence leaves backward US port crippled (4)
MAIM MIAMI reeversed, less I
39 Walk with old-fashioned daughter kicked out of club (3)
WOO WOO(D) less D (daughter)
40 Biannual payment advance necessary in Delhi? (4)
ANNA ANN (Annat) + A (advance)
DOWN
1 Famous ship returned to Spain (4)
NAME MAN reversed + E
2 Year[n] for first boat (4)
PROA PRO (for) + A (year)
3 More than one ch[e]ap base under special ornament (5)
MENSE MEN (=chaps) + E (base) + S
4 A troubadour good on debauchery (5)
GRIOT G + RIOT
5 Flashy type close to girl? Indeed, in back se[a]t (5)
TULIP L + I in PUT (reversed)
6 Guy ignoring university that is embracing new branch of medicine (5)
GYNIE G(U)Y + N (new) in IE
7 On[c]e homeless labourers on railroad (7)
GANGREL GANG + RE + L
8 Horse-drawn vehicle pile up by McGregor's [h]all (4)
BIGA BIG + A (all in Scots)
9 Conifers border posh square (5)
RIMUS RIM + U + S
10 Exotic petal violently [c]rushed (5)
LEAPT Anagram PETAL
11 Bird with lines on head (7)
WRYBILL W + RY + BILL
15 The b[o]ard's corrupt men worried about judge we hear (6)
ENSEAM anagram MEN containing Homophone SEE
18 Signature supporting issue about employee's record (9, two words)
TIME SHEET EMIT (reversed) + SHEET
19 Luminance beneath Greek character's dainty pear[l] (8)
MUSCATEL MU’S + CATE + L (luminance)
20 Signalling equipment dial's damaged by escape pressure (9, two words)
ALDIS LAMP Anagram DIAL’S + LAM + P
21 B[u]y German beer for a Cape doctor perhaps (8, two words)
NEAR GALE NEAR (by) + G + ALE
22 Some hot, turbulent, thoroughly violent film (9)
SHOOT-EM-UP Anagram SOME HOT + UP
24 Arranges deliberate [m]ess (4)
SETS SET (deliberate) + S
29 This is extracted from coal tar in sandy tract (6)
INDENE IN + DENE
30 A defiant exclamation from rude lout drinking Bass (6)
YAH-BOO B (bass) in YAHOO
32 Senates acquire changes without question (6)
CURIAE Anagram ACQUIRE less Q (question) (Strangely this plural is not listed in Chambers)
33 Cry childishly? Me[n] will superficially (4)
MEWL ME + W(il)L
34 William's term of contempt initially spoken by Bottom (5)
SPRAT S(poken) + PRAT