blah vs drab

blah

adj
  • Dull; uninteresting; insipid. 

  • Low in spirit or health; down. 

intj
  • An expression of mild frustration. 

  • Representing the sound of vomiting. 

  • Imitative of idle, meaningless talk; used sometimes in a slightly derogatory manner to mock or downplay another's words, or to show disinterest in a diatribe, rant, instructions, unsolicited advice, parenting, etc. Also used when recalling and retelling another's words, as a substitute for the portions of the speech deemed irrelevant. 

noun
  • (in plural, the blahs) A general or ambiguous feeling of discomfort, dissatisfaction, uneasiness, boredom, mild depression, etc. 

  • Nonsense; drivel; idle, meaningless talk. 

verb
  • To utter idle, meaningless talk. 

drab

adj
  • Particularly of colour: dull, uninteresting. 

  • Of the colour of some types of drabcloth: dull brownish yellow or dun. 

noun
  • An instance of a transgender or non-binary person presenting as the gender corresponding to their sex assigned at birth instead of that corresponding to their internal gender identity (for instance, a trans woman dressed as a man). 

  • A dull or uninteresting appearance or situation, unremarkable. 

  • A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour. 

  • Often in the plural form drabs: apparel, especially trousers, made from this fabric. 

  • The colour of this fabric. 

  • A small amount, especially of money. 

  • A box used in a saltworks for holding the salt when taken out of the boiling pans. 

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