ball and chain vs straitjacket

ball and chain

noun
  • Anything that restricts one's freedom or opportunities. 

  • One's wife, as a symbol of restraint. 

  • A heavy iron ball attached to a prisoner's leg by a chain as a means of restraint. 

straitjacket

noun
  • Any situation seen as confining or restricting. 

  • A jacket-like garment with very long sleeves which can be secured in place, thus preventing the wearer from moving his or her arms. Often used in psychiatric hospitals to prevent patients from injuring themselves or others. 

verb
  • To put someone into a straitjacket. 

  • To restrict the freedom of, either physically or psychologically. 

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