bar sinister vs stain

bar sinister

noun
  • A state or characteristic which is dishonorable or shameful; a stigma. 

  • A bend sinister or baton sinister in a coat of arms. 

  • The state or characteristic of having been born out of wedlock; illegitimacy; bastardy. 

stain

noun
  • A blemish on one's character or reputation. 

  • A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible. 

  • A discoloured spot or area. 

  • Any of a number of non-standard tinctures used in modern heraldry. 

  • A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it. 

verb
  • To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison. 

  • To coat a surface with a stain 

  • To treat (a microscopic specimen) with a dye, especially one that dyes specific features 

  • To taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation 

  • To discolour. 

  • To become stained; to take a stain. 

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