contrivance vs failure

contrivance

noun
  • A means, such as an elaborate plan or strategy, to accomplish a certain objective. 

  • Something overly artful or artificial. 

  • A (mechanical) device to perform a certain task. 

failure

noun
  • State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success. 

  • Omission to do something, whether or not it was attempted, especially something that ought to have been done. 

  • Bankruptcy. 

  • An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure or incapable of success. 

  • Termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function; breakdown. 

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