backroom vs hat in the ring

backroom

noun
  • A room near the rear of a premises, especially one that is only accessible to a privileged few and can be used as an inconspicuous meeting place. 

adj
  • Characterized by secrecy or anonymity. 

  • Of, relating to, or happening in a backroom. 

hat in the ring

How often have the words backroom and hat in the ring occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )