chisel vs shearing

chisel

noun
  • A cutting tool used to remove parts of stone, wood or metal by pushing or pounding the back when the sharp edge is against the material. It consists of a slim, oblong block of metal with a sharp wedge or bevel formed on one end and sometimes a handle at the other end. 

  • Gravel. 

  • Coarse flour; bran; the coarser part of bran or flour. 

verb
  • To cheat, to get something from (someone) by cheating. 

  • To use a chisel. 

  • To work something with a chisel. 

shearing

noun
  • The act or operation of clipping with shears or a shearing machine, as the wool from sheep, or the nap from cloth. 

  • Deformation by forces acting in opposite directions. 

  • The process of making a vertical side cutting in working into a face of coal. 

  • The act or operation of reaping. 

  • The material cut off in this way. 

  • The process of preparing shear steel; tilting. 

  • The act or operation of dividing with shears. 

adj
  • Tending to cut or tear. 

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