bait vs inch

bait

verb
  • To intentionally annoy, torment, or threaten by constant rebukes or threats; to harass. 

  • (of a person) To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment during a journey. 

  • To attract with bait; to entice. 

  • (of a horse or other animal) To take food, especially during a journey. 

  • To set dogs on (an animal etc.) to bite or worry; to attack with dogs, especially for sport. 

  • To affix bait to a trap or a fishing hook or fishing line. 

noun
  • Food containing poison or a harmful additive to kill animals that are pests. 

  • A light or hasty luncheon. 

  • A packed lunch. 

  • A post intended to get a rise out of others. 

  • Anything which allures; something used to lure or entice someone or something into doing something 

  • A small meal taken mid-morning while farming. 

  • Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net. 

  • A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment. 

  • A miner's packed meal. 

adj
  • Well-known; famous; renowned. 

  • Obvious; blatant. 

inch

verb
  • to humiliate; to provoke; to speak in a cocky and cheeky manner 

  • To drive by inches, or small degrees. 

  • To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction). 

  • To deal out by inches; to give sparingly. 

noun
  • A depth of one inch on the ground, used as a measurement of rainfall. 

  • A small island; an islet. 

  • A meadow, pasture, field, or haugh. 

  • Any very short distance. 

  • A depth of one inch in a glass, used as a rough measurement of alcoholic beverages. 

  • An English unit of length equal to 1/12 of a foot or 2.54 cm, roughly the width of a thumb. 

  • Any of various similar units of length in other traditional systems of measurement. 

adj
  • cocky and cheeky 

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