approval vs green light

approval

noun
  • An expression granting permission; an indication of agreement with a proposal; an acknowledgement that a person, thing, or event meets requirements. 

  • Something mailed by a seller to a collector to match their stated interests; the collector can approve of or return the item. 

  • An expression of favorable acceptance and encouragement; a compliment that also condones. 

green light

noun
  • Approval, or permission to proceed. 

  • A go-ahead to commit a crime, specifically to carry out a hit on someone (i.e. to kill). 

  • A traffic light in its green state (indicating that vehicles may proceed). 

How often have the words approval and green light occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )