| GESTAPO | Suggest a possible case for secret police |
| STILETTO | Outrageous old priest lying about supporting case for secret weapon |
| MINORSUIT | Possible case involving children in clubs, perhaps? |
| PROPOSE | Suggest a matter, for consideration, acceptance, or action. (7) |
| DEPOSIT | Keys suggest a down payment (7) |
| ANAPEST | Suggest a work in poetic language (7) |
| ADVANCE | Suggest a very boring trip (7) |
| STASI | Second volunteer army is raised for secret police |
| SPYHOLE | Opening for secret viewing |
| DARKWEB | Socialite catching boat west for secret surfing area |
| CONNOTE | Suggest a meaning |
| SILENCE | Characteristic of this puzzle's circled letters, which suggest a 1991 Oscar-winning film |
| SMEUSE | A dialect word, combining the Old French for "secret hiding place" and "smoot", meaning a small hole, for a gap in a fence or hedge for the passing of a rabbit or a hare (6) |
| BUG | A word for an object of dread originally, later a creepy-crawly or minibeast; a harmful micro-organism or viral disease; a gremlin in a computer system; or, a miniature microphone, hidden for secret e |
| SPARTANS | The first recorded use of cryptography for correspondence was used as early as 400 BCE by this ancient people, who employed a cipher device called the scatale for secret communication between military |
| INTEL | Abbreviation of a word for brainpower, used as military slang for secret information (5) |
| CABALS | Word, from Hebrew for "tradition" and a supposedly acronymic name of Charles II's private ministry, for secret cliques, complots or intrigues (6) |
| TOP | Adjective for "secret" in a spy novel |
| GENERALASSEMBLY | Enlarge, might one suggest, a legislature? (7,8) |
| CATBURGLAR | This may suggest a whiskery visitor less welcome than Santa! (3-7) |
