Words that would be near extinction if not for crosswords

Dean Olsher's got a new contest. This time it's Words and Names That Would Otherwise Be Long Forgotten Were It Not for the Crossword Puzzle.

"I realize there was time when people read novels by Leon Uris, but I think we can all agree that ARI's crossword fame has long outlived any name recognition in the real world. And I suppose spoon bender URI Geller still crops up in the news from time to time, but I would argue his notoriety within the grid is disproportionate to what he deserves," Dean writes. "So send 'em in: as many words as you can think of in this category. Extra points if you have an interesting (and true) story to tell."

Head over to Dean's blog and leave your list/write-up in the comments. The deadline's next Thursday, June 29, and there's a prize (a puzzle book) for the best entry. I'm still contemplating my own contribution...