clutch vs lock

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. 

lock

verb
  • To become fastened in place. 

  • To raise or lower (a boat) in a lock. 

  • To modify (a thread) so that users cannot make new posts in it. 

  • To freeze one's body or a part thereof in place. 

  • To fasten with a lock. 

  • To be capable of becoming fastened in place. 

  • To seize (e.g. the sword arm of an antagonist) by turning one's left arm around it, to disarm them. 

  • To play in the position of lock. 

  • To intertwine or dovetail. 

  • To prevent a page from being edited by other users. 

  • To furnish (a canal) with locks. 

noun
  • A device for keeping a wheel from turning. 

  • A segment of a canal or other waterway enclosed by gates, used for raising and lowering boats between levels. 

  • Complete control over a situation. 

  • The firing mechanism. 

  • Something sure to be a success. 

  • A fastening together or interlacing; a closing of one thing upon another; a state of being fixed or immovable. 

  • A place impossible to get out of, as by a lock. 

  • A grapple in wrestling. 

  • A tuft or length of hair, wool, etc. 

  • A small quantity of straw etc. 

  • A quantity of meal, the perquisite of a mill-servant. 

  • A player in the scrum behind the front row, usually the tallest members of the team. 

  • A mutex or other token restricting access to a resource. 

  • Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination. 

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