baffle vs obstruct

baffle

verb
  • To bewilder completely; to confuse or perplex. 

  • To struggle in vain. 

noun
  • An architectural feature designed to confuse enemies or make them vulnerable. 

  • A device used to dampen the effects of such things as sound, light, or fluid. Specifically, a baffle is a surface which is placed inside an open area to inhibit direct motion from one part to another, without preventing motion altogether. 

  • A lever for operating the throttle valve of a winding engine. 

obstruct

verb
  • To impede, retard, or interfere with; hinder. 

  • To get in the way of so as to hide from sight. 

  • To block or fill (a passage) with obstacles or an obstacle. See synonyms at block. 

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