clockwork vs tedious

clockwork

adj
  • Very smooth and regular. 

  • Driven by clockwork. 

noun
  • A mechanism powered by a coiled spring and regulated by some form of escapement; the power is transmitted through toothed gearwheels and used to drive a mechanical clock, toy, or other device. 

  • The action of behaving mechanically in the manner of a clock. 

tedious

adj
  • Boring, monotonous, time-consuming, wearisome. 

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