contest vs take on

contest

verb
  • To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend. 

  • To call into question; to oppose. 

  • To make a subject of litigation; to defend, as a suit; to dispute or resist, as a claim, by course of law. 

  • To contend. 

noun
  • Controversy; debate. 

  • Struggle for superiority; combat. 

  • A competition. 

take on

verb
  • To attempt to fight, compete with, or engage with. 

  • To assume or take responsibility for. 

  • To (attempt to) dribble round (an opposition player). 

  • To catch on, do well; to become popular. 

  • To obtain the services of (a person) in exchange for remuneration; to give someone a job. 

  • To begin to have or exhibit. 

  • To acquire, bring in, or introduce. 

  • To grieve or be concerned (about something or someone). 

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