America imprisoning philosopher? Conversely, it could be baloney over there (7)

I believe the answer is:

sausage

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'it could be baloney over there' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'america imprisoning philosopher? conversely' is the wordplay.
'america' becomes 'sa' (South America, one of the Americas).
'imprisoning philosopher? conversely' becomes 'usage' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'sa'+'usage'='SAUSAGE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sausage that I've seen before include "Not a - means nothing" , "Eg, salami or cervelat" , "Eg, salami or pepperoni" , "Bologna, Cumberland or Toulouse, for example" , "Minced meat product" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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