bolt vs pelt

bolt

verb
  • To strike or fall suddenly like a bolt. 

  • To produce flower stalks and flowers or seeds quickly or prematurely; to form a bolt (stalk or scape); to go to seed. 

  • To discuss or argue privately, and for practice, as cases at law. 

  • To escape. 

  • To sift, especially through a cloth. 

  • To cause to start or spring forth; to dislodge (an animal being hunted). 

  • To flee, to depart, to accelerate suddenly. 

  • To sift the bran and germ from wheat flour. 

  • To connect or assemble pieces using a bolt. 

  • To utter precipitately; to blurt or throw out. 

  • To secure a door by locking or barring it. 

  • To swallow food without chewing it. 

  • To drink one's drink very quickly; to down a drink. 

  • To refuse to support a nomination made by a party or caucus with which one has been connected; to break away from a party. 

  • To separate, assort, refine, or purify by other means. 

noun
  • A small personal-armour-piercing missile for short-range use, or (in common usage though deprecated by experts) a short arrow, intended to be shot from a crossbow or a catapult. 

  • The standard linear measurement of canvas for use at sea: 39 yards. 

  • A sieve, especially a long fine sieve used in milling for bolting flour and meal; a bolter. 

  • A sliding mechanism to chamber and unchamber a cartridge in a firearm. 

  • A sudden flight, as to escape creditors. 

  • A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body that is threaded, with a larger head on one end. It can be inserted into an unthreaded hole up to the head, with a nut then threaded on the other end; a heavy machine screw. 

  • A refusal to support a nomination made by the party with which one has been connected; a breaking away from one's party. 

  • A stalk or scape (of garlic, onion, etc). 

  • A burst of speed or efficiency. 

  • A bar of wood or metal dropped in horizontal hooks on a door and adjoining wall or between the two sides of a double door, to prevent the door(s) from being forced open. 

  • A lightning spark, i.e., a lightning bolt. 

  • An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a fetter. 

  • A sliding pin or bar in a lock or latch mechanism. 

  • A sudden event, action or emotion. 

  • A large roll of fabric or similar material, as a bolt of cloth. 

  • A sudden spring or start; a sudden leap aside. 

adv
  • Suddenly; straight; unbendingly. 

pelt

verb
  • To force (someone or something) to move using blows or the throwing of missiles. 

  • Chiefly followed by at: to (continuously) throw (missiles) at. 

  • Especially of hailstones, rain, or snow: to beat down or fall forcefully or heavily; to rain down. 

  • To repeatedly beat or hit (someone or something). 

  • To remove the skin from (an animal); to skin. 

  • Of a number of small objects (such as raindrops), or the sun's rays: to beat down or fall on (someone or something) in a shower. 

  • To move rapidly, especially in or on a conveyance. 

  • Chiefly followed by from: to remove (the skin) from an animal. 

  • To bombard (someone or something) with missiles. 

  • To assail (someone) with harsh words in speech or writing; to abuse, to insult. 

noun
  • A blow or stroke from something thrown. 

  • A tattered or worthless piece of clothing; a rag. 

  • The skin of an animal with the hair or wool on; either a raw or undressed hide, or a skin preserved with the hair or wool on it (sometimes worn as a garment with minimal modification). 

  • The fur or hair of a living animal. 

  • The skin of an animal (especially a goat or sheep) with the hair or wool removed, often in preparation for tanning. 

  • Human skin, especially when bare; also, a person's hair. 

  • A beating or falling down of hailstones, rain, or snow in a shower. 

  • An act of moving quickly; a rush. 

  • Anything in a ragged and worthless state; rubbish, trash. 

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