Meowed by Apt

Puzzle explanation

The initial letters of extra words in across clues spelt out “All debts are cleared”, from The Merchant of Venice. The line continues “… between you and I”, a common example of hypercorrection, based on the idea that “between you and me” is wrong. All instances of I in the grid are “corrected” to ME, forming new words that are defined by extra down clue words. The title is “I owed”, similarly treated.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word Answer Explanation
Across
1 alto OMBRES OMBRÉ + S
6 ladies DRUDGE D + URGED *
10 leopard SALABLE LA in SABLE
11 dialectics ELEA E-LEA(rning)
14 emery HUMID ID after HUM
15 both DORSA DORA around S(upported)
16 truck’s TREMOLO (L(eav)E + MOTOR) *
17 sailing CARSE CARE around S(ea)
20 available SLEEVE SAVE with LEE for A
22 remember THEY’LL LITHELY * − I
24 Edinburghers OOSES (l)OOSES(t)
28 clattering EMERGES (SEG + REME) <
30 learning TESTE ’T + EST + (innocenc)E
31 ends SIGMA SIG + MA
32 astonished TURN homophone of TERN
33 relaxing CLOSEST S in CLOSET
34 economy TSETSE (je)T-SET SE(ction)
35 decides TEASEL TEASE + L
Down
2 religionist MASORAH O in ASHRAM *
3 playing BLURB BB around LUR
4 rebel RAISES I in (RASE + S)
5 tendentious SLAT (tran)SLAT(ion)
6 secretion (31ac SMEGMA) DEAREST (A RED SET) *
7 club-footed REHEEL HE in REEL
8 willingly (9dn GAMELY) DEMOTES DEMO + T(eams) E(xploiting) S(taff)
9 eighth GAILY Y after (GAL around I)
10 exploit SEDUCTRESS USED * + C(ut) + TRESS
12 networks (27dn MESHES) ADOLESCENT ANECDOTES * around (socia)L
13 Pharaoh (4dn RAMESES) GATE GRATE − R
18 hoaxed (14ac HUMMED) RENEGUE (EU + GREEN) *
19 overcome FLUENCE FLU + E(nglish) N(ovelist) C(olumnist) E(ssayist)
21 restaurateur VENTOSE (SET OVEN) *
23 Immense LOGANS LOGANS with last letter moved up = SLOGAN
24 Tourists (26dn EMMETS) ON TO (w)ONTO(n)
25 fish (29dn SMELT) ODESSA ((p)ASSED O(n)) <
26 honours EMITS MIT in ES
27 convenience ISHES DISHES − D
29 Oily SILT S(k)I(l)L(e)T
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