Placed face up (4)
I believe the answer is:
laid
'placed' is the definition.
(laying is a kind of placing)
'face up' is the wordplay.
'face' becomes 'dial' (dial is a kind of face).
'up' shows that the letters should be reversed in order (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'dial' reversed gives 'LAID'.
(Other definitions for laid that I've seen before include "Placed horizontally on a surface" , "spread on a surface" , "Wagered" , "The clutch must be" , "(Of dining table) set" .)