Illuminating limn

I found out of recently that there is some minor controversy over the word limn. It seems that the Baltimore Sun used the word in a headline and someone wrote to the paper complaining about the use of the word. That person, describing herself as the holder of a Phi Beta Kappa from University of Maryland, as well as graduating magna cum laude, thought if she didn't immediately understand the word, most people could not. I have interest for obvious reason and find this reaction strange on at least two levels.

Firstly, it must be nice to have an ego that allows you to perceive yourself as the standard against which all else is measured. As irritating as it is, you have to have some admiration for her self-perception. I have used the word limn somewhat often throughout my adult life (unfortunately many decades) without ever being challenged. But give the person her due. Apparently the Living World Vocabulary study (1981) estimated that less than a third of college graduates understood the word. However, there is no indication of the makeup on the survey sample. They could all have been Phi Beta Kappa's or University of Maryland graduates.

Secondly, why is it that someone, rightly proud of such academic credits, complains about an apparently obscure word? Where is this person's intellectual curiosity? I would think that they would be grateful for the opportunity to learn something new and perhaps incorporate into her every day vocabulary. Was her purpose in life the achievement the Phi Beta Kappa and/or a magna cum laude degree and there is naught left other than the role of (un)common scold?