chuck vs clutch

chuck

verb
  • To touch or tap gently. 

  • To discard, to throw away. 

  • To vomit. 

  • To place in a chuck, or hold by means of a chuck, as in turning. 

  • To throw; to bowl with an incorrect action. 

  • To jilt; to dump. 

  • To bore or turn (a hole) in a revolving piece held in a chuck. 

  • On rhythm guitar or mandolin etc.: to mute a chord by lifting the fretting fingers immediately after strumming, producing a percussive effect. 

  • To leave; to depart; to bounce. 

  • To throw, especially in a careless or inaccurate manner. 

  • To call, as a hen her chickens. 

  • To make a clucking sound. 

noun
  • Meat from the shoulder of a cow or other animal. 

  • A mechanical device that holds an object firmly in place, for example holding a drill bit in a high-speed rotating drill or grinder. 

  • A clucking sound. 

  • A friend or close acquaintance; term of endearment. 

  • A gentle touch or tap. 

  • A throw, an incorrect bowling action. 

  • An act or instance of vomiting. 

  • On rhythm guitar or mandolin etc., the muting of a chord by lifting the fretting fingers immediately after strumming, producing a percussive effect. 

  • A small pebble. 

  • A casual throw. 

clutch

verb
  • To grip or grasp tightly. 

  • To unexpectedly or luckily succeed in a difficult activity. 

  • To hatch. 

  • To seize, as though with claws. 

  • To win in a 1vX (one versus X) situation. 

noun
  • The claw of a predatory animal or bird. 

  • An important or critical situation. 

  • A brood of chickens or a sitting of eggs. 

  • A device to interrupt power transmission, commonly used to separate the engine and gearbox in a car. 

  • A fastener that attaches to the back of a tack pin to secure an accessory to clothing. (See Clutch (pin fastener).) 

  • A small handbag or purse with no straps or handle. 

  • A group or bunch (of people or things). 

  • Any device for gripping an object, as at the end of a chain or tackle. 

  • A grip, especially one seen as rapacious or evil. 

  • The pedal in a car that disengages power and torque transmission from the engine (through the drivetrain) to the drive wheels. 

  • A difficult maneuver 

adj
  • Performing or tending to perform well in difficult, high-pressure situations. 

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