Wednesday Words: More Cross Words From a Cruciverbalist*

Yup, it's back -- the Wednesday Words compilation of words in crossword puzzles that I had to look up once I figured out the answers. There's nothing quite so humbling as realizing that I can put the correct letters in and still not be sure I actually got the right word -- because I don't recognize it.

Here are the ones from recent weeks, and yes -- I did know a couple of the words, sort of, but if you had asked me to define them exactly I would have had a tough time. And in one instance, the word I didn't know was in the clue . . . that makes it really hard to figure out the answer, right?

Clues:

• Ill-gotten gains
• Rocky peak
• Poutine base
• A noun or name derived from a person's name
• Glacial pinnacle
• A romantic attraction with an obsessive need to have feelings reciprocated
• Makeshift device
• Old oar-driven ships

Answers in random order:

• Eponym
• Kludge
• Biremes
• Serac
• Limerence
• Pelf
• Fries
• Tor

Ready to know which is which?

• Ill-gotten gains = pelf
• Rocky peak = tor
• Poutine base = fries
• A noun or name dervied from a person's name = eponym
• Glacial pinnacle = serac
• Makeshift device = kludge
• Old oar-driven ships = biremes (pictures)
• A romantic attraction with an obsessive need to have feelings reciprocated = limerence

I had never even imagined kludge, limerence, or pelf . . . how about you?

*The part of the Cruciverbalist definition that applies to me: An enthusiast of word games, especially of crosswords.

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