Last week I posted a particularly nerdish acrostic, and I was pleasantly surprised to be contacted by a couple of people anxious to have sight of the solution. Ergo…
Solution to Cascade
ACROSS
1 Christmas Factor
6 sonic
9 imp
11 reagent
13 spaghetti
14 erotica
15 elope
16 isotope
17 extravert
18 Aida
19 amber
22 airy
23 despotic
25 pasta
27 Britannica
30 turtleneck
31 pombe
32 limacine
35 ages
38 adopt
39 Tsar
41 isochrone
44 iambist
25 basil
46 aerator
47 non-linear
48 italics
49 yea
50 playa
51 Tatiana Romanova
DOWN
1 Chinese cabbage
2 surgical
3 stereotypical
4 astronaut
5 roadie
6 schoolmaster
7 nitrogenase
8 Crimea
10 proctor
12 academe
13 speed
20 spat
21 Shakespeariana
26 Haemophilia A
28 impedimenta
29 Noel
33 myristica
34 Neo-nazi
36 ghostly
37 charisma
40 sober
42 kidnap
43 street
The legend deciphered
The Cascade is based on the haematologist’s classical blood coagulation model, in which a series of molecules are sequentially activated, for example in response to trauma, to prevent blood loss by forming a clot. Classically, 12 molecules were identified. A thirteenth was later added. They are activated in reverse order. The initial trauma activates Factor 12. Activated Factor 12 is Factor 12A. 12A activates Factor 11 to 11A which in turn activates Factor 10 to 10A, and so on. (The current working model has become rather more complex.)
To return to the legend:
13 clues form a CASCADE in diminishing order of solution length. Each of these clues defines its own solution, and gives its length, in an inactive form…
These solutions are, in descending order:
Tatiana Romanov
Shakespearian
Churchillian
Haemophilia
Impediment
Britannic
Myristic
Charism
Erotic
Crime
Play
Aid
Ye
These solutions need to be “activated” before entry to the grid, by addition of the letter A. Hence Tatiana Romanov becomes Tatiana Romanova, Shakespearian becomes Shakespeariana, and so on. In addition, the clues defining these solutions also define the next solution in the cascade in its active form. Hence, for example, the clue to erotic (14 across) must also define Crimea:
Nightingale theatre arousing to Eric (6).
The cascade is cyclical because the last clue in the cycle activates the first:
49 ac: You old Bond girl! (2)
“You old” is ye, activated to yea. The Bond girl is from From Russia with Love. Tatiana Romanova.
The most difficult two clues in Cascade are 1 across, and 26 down, because they require specialist knowledge. Hack these, and you’ve hacked the whole thing.
1 across: 9, protective against 26B (9,6)
Factor 9 in the clotting cascade is “Christmas Factor”. If you lack Christmas Factor, you develop Christmas Disease, otherwise known as Haemophilia B. Haemophilia A is Factor 8 deficiency. “Weightless without women” is “eightless”. “Encumbrances” defines the next solution in the cascade – Impedimenta.
I know what you’re thinking. I need to get out more.
jamescalumcampbell 