boast vs flatter

boast

verb
  • To speak of with pride, vanity, or exultation, with a view to self-commendation; to extol. 

  • To play a boast shot. 

  • To dress, as a stone, with a broad chisel. 

  • To brag; to talk loudly in praise of oneself. 

  • To possess something special (e.g. as a feature). 

  • To shape roughly as a preparation for the finer work to follow; to cut to the general form required. 

noun
  • A shot where the ball is driven off a side wall and then strikes the front wall. 

  • A brag; ostentatious positive appraisal of oneself. 

  • Something that one brags about. 

flatter

verb
  • To enhance someone's vanity by praising them. 

  • To compliment someone, often (but not necessarily) insincerely and sometimes to win favour. 

  • To encourage or cheer someone with (usually false) hope. 

  • To portray someone to advantage. 

noun
  • Someone who flattens, purposely or accidently. Also flattener. 

  • Someone who lives in a rented flat. 

  • A type of set tool used by blacksmiths. 

  • A flat-faced fulling hammer. 

  • A drawplate with a narrow, rectangular orifice, for drawing flat strips such as watch springs. 

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