To whom did Sherlock Holmes refer, when he spoke of "The Woman"?

Holmes regarded Irene Adler as exceptional: he refers to her as "The Woman," because to Holmes she transcended and "eclipsed" the rest of her sex. To us, she briefly eclipses Holmes, since she sees through him at one point in her story and fools him at another. Although she only features in one story, "A Scandal In Bohemia," she is referred to implicitly in other stories and is remembered by some readers of the Sherlock Holmes adventures more than any other character except Watson and Moriarty.