break-off vs demur

break-off

noun
  • A break, discontinuance, or interruption 

  • That which breaks off, or is broken off 

  • The first shot in a game of snooker or other cue-game 

verb
  • To play the first shot in a game of snooker 

demur

noun
  • An act of hesitation as to proceeding; a scruple; also, a suspension of action or decision; a pause, a stop. 

verb
  • To interpose a demurrer. 

  • To delay; to pause; to suspend proceedings or judgment in view of a doubt or difficulty; to hesitate; to put off the determination or conclusion of an affair. 

  • To scruple or object; to take exception; to oppose; to balk 

How often have the words break-off and demur occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )