Five One-time Pads by Poat

Puzzle explanation

The encoded entries are HILBY, BURGE, LEANP, NTMAC and SSBLU, which can be ordered to form four members of the Cambridge Spy Ring: Burgess, Blunt, Maclean, Philby. The alleged fifth man, Cairncross, is represented in the 11th row by BARP (a cairn) and CATTABU (a cross). Their recruiter was Arnold Deutsch, anagrammed at 1ac as “hunt old cadres”.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
10 ACCEND ACCEN(t) + D
11 MISNAME MAINS * + ME
12 RACY O + RACY = ORACY
14 OPING (bo)O + PING
15 ULEMA M in (ro)ULEA(ux)
16 LIMA LIMAX − X
17 APPROOF AP-PROOF (ie, proof against AP)
20 RIBSTONES (BRIT’S NOSE) *
22 GLOOM G + LOOM
25 CONCREWED CON + (s)CREW + ED
29 ZAMARRA RAM < in ZARA(goza)
30 ISN’T I(n)S(a)N(i)T(y)
33 CARP PRAC(tice) <
34 CATTABU CAT + TABU
35 CHA-CHA CHA(r) + CHA(r)
36 YELLS PATSY + YELLS = OFFER using addition as for the one-time pads
37 ONLY THE LONELY ON + LYTHE + LONE + L(emon)Y
Down
1 HOMOLOG HOMO + LOG
2 NASIM (Ni)NA SIM(one)
3 TONNAG CANNOT < with G for C
4 LEMURINE LINE with LE MUR for the first letter
5 CARE (s)CARE(d)
6 À COMPTE A + CO + MP + TE
7 READ-ONLY (NEARLY DO) *
8 JÄGER JAG + ER
9 JELAB J + BALE <
13 COOEYS (CONEYS − N) around O
18 CLOACA C + A in LOCA(l)
19 NON-MORAL NO + NORMAL with M moved up
21 SPENDALL S + PEND + ALL
23 MR RIGHT MIGHT around RR
24 CITRUSY RUS in CITY
26 WATCH W + AT CH
27 DUSTY DURING − RING + T(our) in SY
28 LISTEN L IS TEN multiplied by five (50 = 10 × 5)
29 ZOCCO OZ < + CC + O
31 SCALE CAL in SE
32 MWAH M + W + A + H
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