bring to screeching halt vs muffle

bring to screeching halt

muffle

verb
  • To wrap (a person, face etc.) in fabric or another covering, for warmth or protection; often with up. 

  • To wrap up or cover (a source of noise) in order to deaden the sound. 

  • To mute or deaden (a sound etc.). 

noun
  • The bare end of the nose between the nostrils, especially in ruminants. 

  • A machine with two pulleys to hoist load by spinning wheels, polyspast, block and tackle. 

  • A kiln or furnace, often electric, with no direct flames (a muffle furnace) 

  • Anything that mutes or deadens sound. 

  • A warm piece of clothing for the hands. 

How often have the words bring to screeching halt and muffle occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )