Instead of just citing most of the noel crossword’s clues as Gold, I thought I should just induct the whole thing into the DA Pantheon where it may reside alongside its much-heralded peers.

By my reckoning, this week’s induction brings to four the number of crosswords that we have a record of which stand unsurpassed in brilliance.

They are as follows:

1. the McCrossword;
2. the footnote crossword;
3. the marriage crossword; and, of course,
4. last week’s noel crossword.

Amongst DA’s followers, many speak in hushed tones of other crosswords worthy of worship which have, regrettably, been lost to the ravages of time. They include:

1. the Muralidaran/nong’s rumba/red-handed crossword;
2. the taboo crossword, which featured DA breaking all known cryptic conventions;
3. the “no animals were harmed in the making of this crossword” crossword; and
4. the do-re-mi crossword.

And in the second echelon, acclaimed yet not worshipped, reside the following:

1. the AC/DC crossword;
2. the Simpsons crossword;
3. the George Orwell crossword; and
4. the bobbing-message-in-a-bottle crossword.

Thus stands the DA Pantheon. May we bow down in obeisance.