Baker’s Dozen by Adam

Puzzle explanation

Perimeter answers from clues clockwise from 1ac were: outing, kismet, tonnes, manger, center, teeter, impart, oaring. Letters falling in the indicated cells, using one twice, could then be arranged to form “Cogito ergo sum”, leading to “René Descartes” to form the substitution code. Changing, in shaded cells, the letters of the phrase to the equivalent in the name produced new words in the perimeter. The letter used twice was O which may be seen to code to E twice in the key and so all 12 distinct code pairings were used, the extra making up the “baker’s dozen”.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 OUTING GO < about (UT + IN)
5 KISMET (MISTAKE – A) *
10 ANATOMICAL Composite anagram: C + answer → ACCLAMATION
12 THROMBIN (RO + MB) in THIN
13 ITALIC IT + ALIC(e)
14 AEON AE + ON
15 NERD NEATHERD – A – THE
17 HORACE HORE about (A + C)
19 GRINNING G(et) + R(eady) + INNING
22 PLECTRUM CERT * in PLUM (27ac)
25 MADRAS (A + DR) in MAS
26 MOLA MOLA(r)
27 PLUM PLUM(p)
29 JARGON JAR + GON(e)
31 AIRLINER RAIL * + INER(t)
32 DETERGENCE DETER + PUNGENCE – PUN
33 TEETER (THE TREE – H) *
34 CENTER C + ENTER; N Am spelling because of reference to its military academy
Down
1 OARING O + A RING
2 TAMARIND TAMAR + IN + D
3 IT’LL (Edith) SITWELL – (S + W + E)
4 NOTION NOMINATION – MINA
5 KIRCHNER KERN RICH *
6 ICON Cryptic definition
7 SAMARA ASMARA if SA (= it) reversed
8 ERIOCAULON (IN A PALE COLOUR – PAL) *
9 TONNES Hidden
11 ETERNALISE TERN in EA + ISLE *
16 PILSENER (N + REPLIES) *
18 ARROGANT TARRAGON *
20 IMPART IMPART(ial)
21 ARMLET ARM + LET
23 CHARGE CHARGER – R
24 MANGER MANGE + R
28 KITE Two definitions (one suggesting “rumour”)
30 RIEN (f)RIEN(d)
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