clutch vs fleet

clutch

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

  • 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. 

  • 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 

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. 

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

fleet

noun
  • A large, coordinated group of people. 

  • A number of vessels in company, especially war vessels; also, the collective naval force of a country, etc. 

  • Any command of vessels exceeding a squadron in size, or a rear admiral's command, composed of five sail-of-the-line, with any number of smaller vessels. 

  • An arm of the sea; a run of water, such as an inlet or a creek. 

  • A location, as on a navigable river, where barges are secured. 

  • Any group of associated items. 

  • A group of vessels or vehicles. 

verb
  • To flee, to escape, to speed away. 

  • To pass over rapidly; to skim the surface of. 

  • To cause to slip down the barrel of a capstan or windlass, as a rope or chain. 

  • To hasten over; to cause to pass away lightly, or in mirth and joy. 

  • To move up a rope, so as to haul to more advantage; especially to draw apart the blocks of a tackle. 

  • To move or change in position. 

  • To take the cream from; to skim. 

  • To evanesce, disappear, die out. 

adj
  • Swift in motion; light and quick in going from place to place. 

  • Light; superficially thin; not penetrating deep, as soil. 

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