boot vs can

boot

noun
  • A flexible cover of rubber or plastic, which may be preformed to a particular shape and used to protect a shaft, lever, switch, or opening from dust, dirt, moisture, etc. 

  • A tyre. 

  • A torture device used on the feet or legs, such as a Spanish boot. 

  • The act or process of removing or firing someone (dismissing them from a job or other post). 

  • The inflated flag leaf sheath of a wheat plant. 

  • A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread. 

  • A parking enforcement device used to immobilize a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp. 

  • The act or process of bootstrapping; the starting or re-starting of a computing device. 

  • That which is given to make an exchange equal, or to make up for the deficiency of value in one of the things exchanged; compensation; recompense. 

  • An unattractive person, ugly woman. 

  • The luggage storage compartment of a sedan or saloon car. 

  • Profit, plunder. 

  • A hard plastic case for a long firearm, typically moulded to the shape of the gun and intended for use in a vehicle. 

  • A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg. 

  • A recently arrived recruit; a rookie. 

  • A linear amplifier used with CB radio. 

  • A bootleg recording. 

  • A bobbled ball. 

  • A blow with the foot; a kick. 

  • A rubber bladder on the leading edge of an aircraft’s wing, which is inflated periodically to remove ice buildup; a deicing boot. 

  • A kind of sports shoe worn by players of certain games such as cricket and football. 

  • A black person. 

verb
  • To disconnect forcibly; to eject from an online service, conversation, etc. 

  • To bootstrap; to start a system, e.g. a computer, by invoking its boot process or bootstrap. 

  • To apply corporal punishment (compare slippering). 

  • To vomit. 

  • To eject; kick out. 

  • To kick. 

  • To shoot, to kill by gunfire. 

  • To start or restart a computer or other electronic system; to bootstrap. 

  • To put boots on, especially for riding. 

  • To step on the accelerator of a vehicle for faster acceleration than usual or to drive faster than usual. 

can

noun
  • A more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium, but sometimes of plastic, and with a carrying handle over the top. 

  • An ounce (or sometimes, two ounces) of marijuana. 

  • A protective cover for the fuel element in a nuclear reactor. 

  • Jail or prison. 

  • A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can). 

  • Buttocks. 

  • Headphones. 

  • A cube-shaped buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark 

  • A chimney pot. 

  • A tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish. 

  • An E-meter used in Scientology auditing. 

verb
  • To have the potential to; be possible. 

  • To cover (the fuel element in a nuclear reactor) with a protective cover. 

  • Used with verbs of perception. 

  • May; to be permitted or enabled to. 

  • To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.). 

  • To fire or dismiss an employee. 

  • To shut up. 

  • To know how to; to be able to. 

  • To seal in a can. 

  • To hole the ball. 

  • To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can. 

  • The boss canned him for speaking out. 

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