bluff vs frank

bluff

adj
  • Roughly frank and hearty in one's manners. 

  • Having a broad, flattened front. 

  • Surly; churlish; gruff; rough. 

  • Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front. 

noun
  • An attempt to represent oneself as holding a stronger hand than one actually does. 

  • An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one's position in order to intimidate; braggadocio. 

  • A high, steep bank, for example by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face. 

  • One who bluffs; a bluffer. 

  • A small wood or stand of trees, typically poplar or willow. 

verb
  • To make a bluff; to give the impression that one's hand is stronger than it is. 

  • To give false information intentionally; to lie; to deceive 

  • To take advantage by bluffing. 

  • To fluff, puff or swell up. 

  • To frighten or deter with a false show of strength or confidence; to give a false impression of strength or temerity in order to intimidate and gain some advantage. 

frank

adj
  • honest, especially in a manner that seems slightly blunt; candid; not reserved or disguised. 

  • unmistakable, clinically obvious, self-evident 

verb
  • To exempt from charge for postage, as a letter, package, or packet, etc. 

  • To shut up in a frank or sty; to pen up; hence, to cram; to fatten. 

  • To place a frank on an envelope. 

  • To send by public conveyance free of expense. 

noun
  • The notice on an envelope where a stamp would normally be found. 

  • A hot dog or sausage. 

  • The grey heron. 

  • A pigsty. 

  • Free postage, a right exercised by governments (usually with definite article). 

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