building block vs clod

building block

noun
  • A component that is part of a larger construction, such as a brick or a stone. 

  • A block made of wood or plastic that is used as a children's toy and can be stacked or joined to form a larger structure. 

  • A component that is part of a larger system. 

clod

noun
  • A lump of something, especially of earth or clay. 

  • Part of a shoulder of beef, or of the neck piece near the shoulder. 

  • The ground; the earth; a spot of earth or turf. 

  • A stupid person; a dolt. 

verb
  • To collect into clods, or into a thick mass; to coagulate; to clot. 

  • To pelt with clods. 

  • To throw violently; to hurl. 

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