brick wall vs clutch

brick wall

noun
  • An obstacle. 

  • Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see brick, wall. A wall made of bricks. 

  • Someone who is silent or unresponsive. 

  • A type of anti-aliasing filter with a steep cutoff. 

verb
  • To halt or limit abruptly. 

  • To build a brick wall around. 

  • To be uncooperative and unresponsive. 

  • To filter using a brick wall filter. 

clutch

noun
  • A difficult maneuver 

  • 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. 

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

verb
  • To unexpectedly or luckily succeed in a difficult activity. 

  • To hatch. 

  • To seize, as though with claws. 

  • To grip or grasp tightly. 

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

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