bath sponge vs swab

bath sponge

noun
  • A sponge, made from any material, that is used for cleaning the body while bathing. 

  • A commercially used species of sponge (porifer, invertebrate of the phylum Porifera) found throughout the Mediterranean Sea, Spongia officinalis. 

swab

noun
  • A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access. 

  • A sailor; a swabby. 

  • A naval officer's epaulet. 

  • A mop, especially on a ship. 

  • A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns. 

  • A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material). 

verb
  • To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab. 

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