Ladies First

On International Women’s Day 2025, 1ACross is happy to present “Ladies First”, a special puzzle put together with several talented cruciverbalists from across the globe.

Harriet Beecher Stowe once said, “Women are the real architects of society.”  On this Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the strength, wisdom, and compassion that women, the architects of our society, bring to the world. Putting women first means recognizing their contributions, amplifying their voices, and ensuring they get the respect and opportunities they deserve. As you solve the grid, also take this opportunity to acknowledge the architects of this puzzle, the many talented women we have had the good fortune to be associated with and let’s appreciate and celebrate the incredible women around us!

Answers can be submitted by anyone who wishes to participate, on or before EOD 21st. Mar. 2025. All those who submit entries have a chance to enter our leader board for 2025. Annotations for the puzzle will be posted in the blog on Saturday, March 22nd, 2025. Use the same Email ID in BOTH STEP 1 and STEP 2. BOTH steps need to be completed for the submission to be complete.

STEP 1 – SOLVE AND COMPLETE THE GRID BELOW.
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STEP 2: After you finish the grid, COMPLETE THIS BONUS FORM BONUS FORM: LINK

NOTES: 1. Please Login to the blog to access and solve the puzzle. 2. You can use either your Facebook or Google credentials to login. 3. Use the same ID consistently for the blog and bonus forms. 4. Logging in auto saves your progress and lets you solve across multiple sessions and devices seamlessly. Please ensure that your browser enables third party cookies or whitelist the “amuselabs.com” domain to enable autosave. 5. Once logged in, you don’t need to enter your credentials again when you hit “Submit”. 6. Click on PRINT for a Printer Friendly / PDF version

The Team
Grid Construction & Concept- Sowmya Ramkumar
Clues – Co-ordination and Editing – Qrypt On Y X 

Sowmya: (Founder of 1Across.org. Conceptualized the puzzle/ Constructed the grid). Sowmya is the puzzle editor at Amuselabs, cryptic crossword compiler Hypatia for “The Hindu” and Enigmaya for “The Hindustan Times”. She has independently published three books viz., Cryptic Crossroads 1, 2 and 3. Other than cryptics, she also sets US style mini crosswords and these are published in The Boston Globe, Gulf News, Indiamini.in and other publications. She lives in Bahrain with her husband, son and a golden retriever.

Lakshmi Vaidyanathan: (Admin. of 1Across on Facebook). Compiler “Saral” for “The Hindu” & Lava for Hindustan Times (online). Have been setting crosswords for Col’s blog THCC, Extra-C and 1Across. Have won IITM Crossword competition twice. Member of Crossword Association Of Tamil Nadu, India, conducting crossword competitions with Ramki Krishnan, in TN.

Qrypt On Y X: (Co-ordinated with the setters and helped to edit the clues): Woman on Wonderlust

Aashwina Mouli: Social causes (working with children at the primary level in education) and crosswords keep me busy on most days. I have started tackling the Guardian this year with some success. I have also started doing the crosswords in the Hindustan times this year along with the Hindu and I am happy to see more and more women setters in these publications. A big shout out to all women setters! May our tribe increase !

Amrita Majumdar: I am a crossword enthusiast with a keen eye for wordplay and a love of language. Always on the look out for the perfect clue, I contribute puzzles to The Hindustan Times. Presently, I live in Bangkok, the city of smiles 🙂

Bharati Shankaran Hemmady: Writer, activist and founder of fydback.com. Lives in Mumbai.

Camelia Oberoi: Mom of two gorgeous kids. Passionate about music, wildlife and nature. Cryptic crosswords. Yoga & Pilates teacher.

Claire Louise Clark: Hi, I’m Claire. I hail from London but have lived in sunny Brisbane for 25 years now! I work in the disability sector which I absolutely love. I am a proud female cryptic crossword setter. I developed a love of cryptics when I was in my early teens. Over the years I have had the privilege of crossing paths with many highly talented, committed and creative female setters. Female setters are still sadly underrepresented in the crossword world; this is very disappointing as there is some amazing talent out there. I am delighted to celebrate IWD2025 with you all through our shared love of crosswords!

Debasmita Basu: I teach Economics at XIM University, Bhuvaneshwar. I am currently setting grids for Hindustan Times. When I have free time, I take my trusted two-wheeler to explore the beautiful place I live in.

Debbie Manber Kupfer: Debbie grew up in London, but somehow ended up in St. Louis, Missouri, where she lives with her family including two very opinionated felines. She works as a writer, editor, and puzzle constructor and is the author of the young adult fantasy series, P.A.W.S. Her puzzles have appeared in Penny Press and Dell magazines. She believes that with enough tea and dark chocolate you can achieve anything! Visit Debbie Manber Kupfer on her website Paws 4 Puzzles or on Facebook

Gayathri Viswanath: Gayathri is a homemaker from Bahrain. Reading, writing, K-dramas and cricket take most of her free time. Though a not-so-newbie to crosswords, she is trying to find her way around one clue at a time.

Guinevere: Guinevere has been solving cryptics for years but has recently discovered the joys of setting! She has published a few puzzles and is working hard to learn and improve! She is Welsh, was late-diagnosed with ADHD and works in software.

Heidi: Retired speech-language pathologist enjoying her return to the islands of her childhood with a beloved husband and two cats. Passions include word games, Hawaiian culture, collecting perfume, and playing Mah Jongg.

Janet Lazar: Janet is a retired lawyer in New Jersey, USA, and a doctoral candidate in a field called Jazz Information Retrieval. She has two poodles.

Juhi Saklani: Juhi is a writer and photographer based in Delhi.

Maya Sharma: Maya is a Mumbaikar. Bahrain has been her home away from home for the past 2 decades. She is a cost accountant by profession. She likes to narrate and write short stories.

Mona: Happy women’s day to everyone ❤️❤️ I have been solving and setting cryptic crosswords since more than a decade and am loving every moment of it. Proud to be a woman and an independent one at that!!

Neelima Rai: Hey everyone, My name is Neelima Rai. I also go by the pseudonym BlueJay, and now Rain. I work as a software tester. I have worked from home for the last 15+ years, way before it became the norm. I like to read a little and crochet in my free time. I am here for the love of crosswords and I am happy to have found this community online. Happy Women’s Day! .

Phoenix Griffin Newton: Phoenix is an LGBTQIA+ person from California who loves cats and coffee. She is an activist for LGBTQIA+ persons with disabilities.

Rachel Playforth: I started compiling crosswords during lockdown in 2020 and now set cryptics for The Independent under the name Angel. I’m also a medical librarian, poet and editor, and I stream collaborative solves on Twitch with my husband on our CrypticSunday.

Rhiannon Vivian-Bolt: Rhiannon lives in Canberra, Australia, with family and 2 dogs. She enjoys word games, cryptic crossword clues, music (singing, playing brass and some other wind instruments), and works as a programmer.

Stella Zawistowski: Stella  is a Brooklyn, NY-based crossword constructor. She is also a speed solver of American-style crosswords with multiple top-ten finishes at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament..

Supriya Mithal: I’m Supriya from Delhi NCR. I love solving and setting cryptic crosswords, reading, spending time with friends and family. Happy to be a part of this annual grid..

Viraj Divecha: Hi! So happy to be here today. I love Crosswords, punning, music and mountains. I used to work as a textile designer and ran art workshops for kids. I live in Bangalore, and my dream is to settle down somewhere in the Himalayas one day..🙂 .