The term AGATHA refers to Agatha CHRISTIE, the renowned English writer of detective fiction. The crossword solutions for this term are ERLE (4 letters), DAMES (5 letters), NGAIO (5 letters), DAME (4 letters), and CHRISTIE (8 letters). Erle is a reference to Erle Stanley Gardner, an American lawyer and author of detective stories. Dames and DAME refer to female nobility, which is a fitting title for Agatha CHRISTIE, who was made a DAME Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1971. Ngaio is a reference to Ngaio Marsh, a New Zealand crime writer and contemporary of Agatha CHRISTIE. Finally, CHRISTIE is a reference to Agatha CHRISTIE's surname.